To Catch an Elf
by weepingangel9578
Summary: Legolas is taken captive by a band of orcs, and the fellowship immediately take off after their friend, Aragorn at the lead. During the chase, the fellowship reflects on the time they have spent with the elf. Will they be able to find their friend, or will their search be in vain? Set before Caradhras and the rating is for violence, but there isn't anything too bad.
1. Chapter 1

**I am so sorry that it has been so long since I posted, but I have been busy with various summer activities and I finally got a break to type.**

**Please review; you know how much I love them…**

**Thanks y'all!**

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The Fellowship of the Ring had been formed and their mission set. Nine companions were now joined together to protect and guide a young hobbit and the burden that he volunteered to carry. Said company included four hobbits from the Shire, a wizard filled to the brim with wisdom, a dwarf who was the lord under the Lonely Mountain, the first born son of the steward of Gondor, a ranger from the north with a hidden identity, and the elven prince of Mirkwood. The group had departed from the safe haven of Imlardis, or Rivendell as it was more commonly known, three days ago. They had traveled a great distance, with minimum stops, and had finally worn themselves down to the point where they needed to slow and rest for an undetermined section of time. So now the fellowship had set up camp, eaten an early dinner, and settled in for the night.

However, one hobbit found he was unable to sleep as his mind was plagued with unsettling nightmares. Frodo Baggins tossed and turned in his bedroll, trying to make himself more comfortable, but he was mostly unsuccessful. Abandoning the seemingly hopeless idea of actually gaining some rest, the halfling re-rolled his makeshift bed and packed it away. He sat in silence for several moments before an almost inaudible verse of a song in elvish caught his attention. Frodo squinted through the darkness until he caught sight of the shining blond hair that belonged to the single elf within the group. Legolas was placed on the edge of the clearing they were resting in, watching the surrounding area for any type of threat. Frodo didn't know the prince very well, for Legolas tended to keep to himself, but deciding that possibly awkward company was better than no company; the hobbit rose from his spot on the ground and approached the singing elf.

He only gained several feet however, before Legolas stopped his song and spoke quietly to the hobbit, his back still turned.

"You really should be regaining strength my dear Frodo. We have a long trek ahead of us once the sun rises."

Frodo paused in shock. How had Legolas heard him coming, he had barely made a sound?

"H-How did you…"

"How did I know you where there?"

Legolas turned around to smile warmly at the ring bearer.

"My sense of hearing is much more sensitive than yours my friend. I have been aware of your presence ever since you woke."

The hobbit gaped at him while Legolas only chuckled and gestured for Frodo to come and sit beside him. The Halfling obeyed, and set himself to the elf's left. They shared several moments of silence before Legolas turned back to the hobbit.

"So why are you awake at this odd hour?"

Frodo exhaled heavily and turned his gaze to the sky. He searched the stars for several seconds before answering.

"My sleep has been chased away by the endless nightmares of the ring. I have seen the mangled bodies of my kin, the Shire burned to the ground, my own demise, the utter destruction of Middle Earth, and many other gruesome things that I never wished to see in my time. You know I always dreamed of adventure, listening to Bilbo's stories and such, but now that I am here, I do not believe that I shall be able to complete this quest."

The prince nodded slowly, turning his own gaze to the endless space above their heads as well.

"I am sorry to hear that my friend, but you must understand that those nightmares are merely visions that Sauron has placed within your mind in hopes of vanquishing your drive to continue this journey. Giving into them and their sorrow would be unwise and only bring you more pain. So even though sometimes hope seems thin, we must stay strong and continue to fight, only then will we find peace."

The ring bearer hummed in response and smiled at the elf as he started to sing to himself again.

"Thank you Legolas, you are very wise indeed. Now I must ask, what is the song you sing? I think that I have heard Bilbo singing it before, but I cannot accurately recall."

"Oh is that so? The song is fairly common in Mirkwood…it is actually more of a children's tale, but it has stuck with me throughout the years. My mother taught it to me when I was a mere elfling and most of my memories of her are tied to it. She died when I was quite young you see. I was only two-hundred years of age when we lost her, and I don't know why, but being here, with this mess ahead of us, made me think of her, and therefore that song."

Frodo frowned at the elf's explanation.

"Oh I am sorry Legolas, that must have been difficult, believe me I know. My own parents perished when I was young, that is when Bilbo took me in."

"Well it seems that we share a similar grief my friend. However, I do still have ada, but it has been hard for him to always treat me as a son. The issues within Mirkwood have been very demanding, but he honestly tries, sometimes a little too much." (father)

Legolas chuckled at his last thought and smiled at Frodo.

"He can be rather overprotective at times, despite the fact that I am now over two-thousand years of age…What about Bilbo? Is he in possession of any irritating fatherly traits?"

"Oh yes, I could tell you stories."

Frodo laughed along with the elf as various memories flashed in his mind. Then suddenly Legolas went completely stiff. His laughter silenced and he slowly reached for his bow, notching an arrow and pulling back the string. When he spoke his voice was barely above a whisper.

"Go and wake the others. Tell Aragorn that a pack of about fifty orcs are approaching us rapidly."

Frodo paled and quickly rose with Legolas following him. The halfling watched as the prince slowly crept forward several feet, his bow still cocked. The hobbit was almost glued to the spot as Legolas released his arrow and the screech of a dying orc pierced the air. It was then that they showed themselves. Just as Legolas predicted fifty orcs came sauntering out of the shadows, quickly circling around the elf and hobbit, oblivious to the fellowship that was slowly waking at the other end of the clearing.

Their laughs and jeers were harsh, and Frodo was absolutely terrified. He slowly backed up until he was up against Legolas. The elf was ready to fight, but he was worried about the hobbit behind him. Frodo would probably be trampled if a fight broke out, and besides, there was no way that Legolas could defeat all fifty orcs by himself. He could see that the fellowship was beginning to wake, but when the orcs started closing in Legolas knew that they wouldn't be ready in time.

"Well, well, an elf and a hobbit…you have something that we want, and we aren't supposed to kill you yet, so…we might as well take you with us little one. Grab him!"

Frodo yelped when several mangled hands reached out for him. He tried to back away but found himself unable when one finally latched onto his ankle, pulling him to the ground.

"Legolas!"

In one second flat the orc holding him was dead with an arrow in its throat. Soon others began to fall as the elf shot them down, but then the arrows stopped coming as Legolas was grabbed from behind. He was punched in the gut, hard, and doubled over as the air was knocked from his lungs.

"Now we can't have you doing that my pretty…"

"What should we do with him?"

"Take him too, if I am not mistaken, that it prince Legolas of the Woodland realm, and Thranduil's only son. I bet that the rich old king would pay a mighty price to get his son back."

The orcs holding the elf smiled darkly and started moving away from the fellowship's campsite, Frodo not far behind in the clutches of the trailing orcs.

"Mister Frodo! Let him go!"

"Hold on you two!"

Frodo craned his neck back to see the fellowship sprinting towards them, but the orcs picked up speed and the hobbit could see the distance between himself and the fellowship steadily increasing.

However, in one last attempt to save his friend, Sam leapt forward, with an unnatural blast of speed, and managed to grab the hem of Frodo's trousers, jerking him back. Unfortunately this did nothing to hinder the orcs speed, so Sam began to be dragged away as well. Then Aragorn grabbed onto Sam and pulled him back, but Sam refused to let go of Frodo, so with their combined strength, Aragorn and Sam managed to pull Frodo from the orc's grip.

"The halfling!"

"Leave him!"

The orcs shouted to each other briefly before agreeing and turning away to catch up with the rest of their pack, leaving Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, Gandalf, Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo alone in the clearing.

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**So what did you think? Sorry for the slight cliff hanger…but it makes the story more interesting don't you think? Anyway please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews you guys! I really appreciate it!**

**Enjoy!**

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Frodo Baggins was not in a particularly good state. He was slumped on the ground with Sam, Merry, and Pippin hovering around him asking if he was injured or in pain, despite the fact that Aragorn had already given him a clean bill of health. The hobbit hadn't said a word since he had been pulled from the orc's grip, and his eyes held an inner turmoil and guilt that everyone was terrified to disturb. For during the mad dash to grab him, the orcs holding Legolas were given an opportunity to gain extra distance, and those few feet had made all of the difference. By the time the fellowship had sorted themselves out, the pack was already on the distant horizon and there was no way the now eight walkers, could catch up.

So now guilt was weighing down Frodo's heart with a vengeance. After all, Legolas had calmed his mind, protected him from the orcs, and now the prince was in their terrible clutches because Frodo's life was seen as more valuable than the elf's. The hobbit understood the importance of keeping the ring out of Sauron's hands, but still, it just didn't seem fair… why him? However, the most tortuous part of it all was the constant stream of what if's flashing through the halfling's mind. What if he had been quicker to warn the others? What if he had been able to defend himself? What if…?

And then there was the disturbing knowledge that the longer Legolas was with the orcs, more and more pain would pressed upon his lithe body and quick mind. It chilled the hobbit to know that he was almost in the same predicament. Because of this, Frodo didn't give the idea of chasing after Legolas a second thought, but it seemed that not everyone felt the same way. For the Valar's sake there was an actual argument going on about the subject!

Aragorn, Boromir, Gandalf, and Gimli were standing in a group several feet away, discussing the subject. From the small snips of conversation Frodo had listened in on, he was able to gather that Aragorn and Gandalf were ready to jump up and search for the elf, while Gimli and Boromir were against the idea.

"So we should just leave him!"

The sudden shout from Aragorn grabbed all four of the hobbits attention, for they had never heard the man speak so. His voice was edgy and venomous; the normal calm and wise quality had vanished.

"He has been lost Aragorn! By the time we reached him he will be either dead or worse!"

Boromir's reply was equally harsh and the anger in his voice was no longer hidden. The two men glared at each other for several seconds before Gandalf intervened.

"Come now Boromir would you honestly leave Legolas to the torture and death that awaits him? That is a horror that I wouldn't inflict on my greatest enemy! The orcs despise the elves more so than any other race. They envy their beauty and grace to a shameful extent. They will make sure Legolas suffers to the upmost if he is not found."

"Tis exactly why we shouldn't bring him back! If we do manage to bring him back he would be so damaged that he would hardly be Legolas anymore! I understand your pain but it would be cruel to prolong the elf's pain in such a way! Besides the orcs are headed towards Isengard which is to the south of us, while we are headed to Mordor which is southeast. We would be heading in the wrong direction if we were to follow them."

"You understand nothing!"

Aragorn stood quickly and screeched at the dwarf, who had placed his opinion into the mix.

"When the fellowship was created we were told to trust and rely on each other, so how can we betray that by leaving Legolas to the fate that awaits him!?"

Boromir sighed in exasperation and looked to the ranger.

"Aragorn you are thinking with your heart not your mind. Legolas was a friend of yours was he not? You must understand that while your ties with him beg you to pursue this folly, the practical issues here demand that you sever those connections!"

"You speak of him as if he is already dead! And yes he was a very dear friend of mine that would never have left me behind if our positions were switched!"

"You are not hearing my words-"

"No I hear you quite clearly, but let me ask you this. If someone you thought of as a brother was in the capture of a pack of orcs would you take your own advice and let them go so easily?"

The Gondorian paused and his mouth pressed into an emotionless line. His gaze faltered ever so slightly when Aragorn's raging eyes bore into him. Seeing the man's reaction Aragorn softened a little.

"You cannot ask this of me Boromir, just as I cannot ask this of you or anyone else here. So please you must help me."

Silence stretched over the group and that was when Frodo stood, surprising every hobbit around him. The lost quality of his eyes had disappeared and determination and strength had replaced it.

"We will go after the orcs and we will bring Legolas back. He would do the same for any of us and if you do not want to aid me then I suggest you bow out of this fellowship while you still can."

Everyone turned to look at Frodo in surprise before Sam Jumped to his feet and nodded.

"I agree with Mister Frodo."

"Me too!"

"Yeah and me!"

The other hobbits rose as well and stood in group around Frodo.

Gandalf and Aragorn smiled at them before approaching the four halflings to join their group. It was then that the six watched the other two pensively. Finally Boromir and Gimli joined them, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

With everyone now ready to head out, Aragorn took the lead and led the group forward.

"Alright, let's go get our elf."

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**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all for the reviews you have left, I really enjoy reading them! Alright, now this chapter does contain some orc on elf violence but nothing too bad. However, my fighting and torture scene writing skills are not exactly as…refined I guess you could say, as my other writing, so I apologize in advance if some parts of this chapter and others about Legolas aren't up to my normal quality.**

**Please review!**

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The pack of orcs were still going strong despite the fact that many hours had passed-for the dawn had now begun—since they had abducted the members of the fellowship. However, the orcs bringing up the end of the group had failed to tell their counterparts about the loss of the hobbit, leaving Legolas the only captive. As for the current state of the elf, being dragged by the less than careless orcs for several hours had caused some serious damage to his body.

Most of the prince's ribs were broken or cracked; he had a very severe concussion, bruises, gashes, and various other scratches covered his body head to toe, his left hip, knee and ankle had been dislocated after catching on several rocks and abnormities in the earth, and he had lost far too much blood, leaving him pale and somewhat weakened. However, the elf refused to show any of his pain to the vile creatures surrounding him. His face had become an emotionless mask as he exercised the extreme amounts of control he had over his body. That being said, he couldn't control the barely audible sigh of relief that escaped his lips when the beasts slowed their pace.

"Grab the prisoners!"

The shout from the apparent leader pushed the subordinate orcs into motion. A group of a about ten descended upon the elf and pushed him down to the ground, his struggles not nearly strong enough to throw off all the orcs. Once the elf was subdued his wrists and ankles were grabbed and bound, leaving Legolas' movement limited. He was then dragged into a standing position as an orc grabbed a fistful of golden hair and yanked upwards. Legolas winced momentarily in pain before once again schooling his face. Despite his injuries and seemingly helpless situation, the prince stood tall with an air of defiance as the leader approached him.

"Where is the other one, the halfling!?"

The other beasts stiffened and looked around dumbly, which only further infuriated the leader. It was then that Legolas realized that he hadn't seen the hobbit since he and Frodo were initially grabbed. Confusion marked his face before suddenly realization dawned on him. The shout, Sam's shout…it must have been one of triumph. He had been too far away, and the orcs had kept him low to the ground, so he hadn't been able to see exactly what happened, but now he realized that the fellowship must have been able to grab Frodo before the orcs holding the halfling got away.

"WELL!?"

Once again only silence met the leader's feral growl. That was until a timid orc-if an orc could look timid-stepped forward, his gaze intently focusing on the ground. When it spoke the normal boisterous voice that the breed possessed was dampened by what Legolas thought was a trace of fear, but he couldn't be quite sure.

"We lost him while leaving. One of the other halflings grabbed him and he was pulled from our grasp."

"You lost him to another halfing!"

The leader advanced on the orc and screeched at him.

"How did you manage to lose the halfling to a puny creature that is no bigger than a fourth of you?!"

"Well one of the men-"

The orc was cut off when the seething orc swung around and dislocated the beast's head from its body, the momentary expression of sheepish fear permanently glued to the mangled features. Silence fell across every being as the body slumped gracelessly to the ground in a heap. The leader was given several looks with indefinable emotions, but they were easily ignored as his attention became focused on the bound elf.

He walked directly up to the prince until their faces were mere inches apart. The leader sneered and in the process bore the disgusting state of his blacked teeth and tongue. It snarled dangerously towards the elf and Legolas had to use almost all of his restraint not to gag at the horrible smell the orc was emitting.

"Looks like it is just you elf…you are the son of Thranduil are you not?"

Legolas only glared at the orc with anger and defiance, not a single sound falling from his lips. The leader waited for a second before backhanding the elf with so much force that Legolas' head whipped to the side and the sound of the smack resonated throughout the area. Several jeers and chuckles were heard from the surrounding beings as the elf remained with his head turned for a few moments. However, still Legolas remained silent. Then slowly he moved his head back so he was facing the orc, a purplish bruise already forming where he was hit. His eyes were cold and his facial features set in a raging expression. He looked the orc up and down with critical eyes. Once he finished scanning the orc's body, he turned his gaze to the ground for a few seconds, before suddenly his head jerked upwards and he spat in the leader's face.

"Gurth goth i yrch!" (death to the orcs!)

"How dare you!"

The orc furiously wiped at his face and swiftly grabbed the elf around the neck, pressing down and cutting off Legolas' air supply. The elf thrashed, but with his limbs bound, and the weight of the orc pushing against him, he only succeeded in pulling both himself and the leader to the ground. Unfortunately the orc landed on top of the him and therefore thoroughly pinned the Mirkwood resident to the ground. The orc then howled at him before finally relinquishing his hold around the prince's neck just enough for Legolas to suck in several breaths of air to soothe his aching lungs

"You will not be so insolent towards me elf! I am your superior!"

Legolas rolled his eyes and chuckled sarcastically.

"Superior? You are even dimmer than I originally thought! You have about as much superiority towards me as the earth we walk on!"

That set the orc off. He growled ferociously, dragging the elf forward and upwards, before slamming him back down to the ground. When his body jerked downwards, Legolas' head smashed against the earth and the consequence was his vision blurring dangerously for several moments before his icy blue eyes rolled back into his skull, eyelids fluttering shut. The dark oblivion of unconsciousness immediately dragging the elf into its crushing grasp.

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**Please, please, please review guys! I don't want to be redundant, but I really want to hear your thoughts!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to update, but I have been on vacation since Wednesday and there wasn't any wireless network where we were staying. **

**Thank you so much for all the reviews you guys have left, I just love you guys! Italics are flashbacks/thoughts.**

**Please review and enjoy!**

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Eight figures trudged across barren plains in search of orcs and elves. They had been traveling since first light with a brief stop for rest at mid-day, before continuing on until now. The early evening light was settling over their exhausted and anxious forms as they finally stopped to make camp and rest their aching feet.

The hobbits now had a warming fire started and all of them were huddled around it, their shoulders slumped with an air of hopelessness. The rest of the fellowship had gathered around them as well, with the exception of the ranger.

Their moods were dampened because despite the constant travel, the hobbits, and most other members of the group, felt as though almost no progress had been made towards actually catching the elf and pack of orcs. Aragorn had found the tracks pretty early on in the venture, but they weren't exactly fresh and they hadn't led very far before they trailed off, leaving the ranger frustrated and angry…so he had tried again to find a newer trail to follow. However, the darkness which was quickly falling had prevented the man from successfully completing his intended action.

To exercise his extreme distaste for the somewhat helpless situation he was in, Aragorn had started to pace up and down the length of the fellowship's camp restlessly. All the while he was mumbling to himself with a mixture of rants, in both Westron, and Elvish, and apologies to the elf.

"Aragorn come and sit. You do no one any good in wearing yourself down."

The wizard spoke calmly with lacings of grief and compassion in his voice. The ranger looked to him with rage flashing behind his silver eyes, but the anger quickly transformed into only sadness and pain. He finally stilled his erratic movements and sluggishly approached the group. As he heavily placed himself in-between Gandalf and Boromir a stressed sigh escaped his lips.

"I know I am just worried about him."

"I understand Aragorn, but you know as well as I do that our beloved Greenleaf is strong. He has been ever since he was a child."

Aragorn nodded and chuckled half-heartedly.

"I would describe his behavior as an elfling as more of a blockheaded nature."

The wizard grinned and nodded.

"I think that Thranduil would agree with that completely."

"Wait; did you know Legolas when he was a child Aragorn?" Pippin asked with wide eyes.

The ranger shook his head and smiled at the young hobbit.

"No, no Legolas was already over two centuries older than I was when we first met. Mithrandir* however, has known Legolas since he was born."

Every hobbit took on an expression of surprise, eyes intently watching Gandalf's face and mouths agape.

"Really?"

Gandalf chuckled.

"Aye my dear hobbits it is true. I remember many times when I witnessed our dear elf's terror upon his father first hand. That being said, one instance in particular has always stuck out to me. I was visiting Mirkwood to meet with King Thranduil and several other elven dignitaries to discuss the state of the kingdom…."

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_A tall figure atop a milky white steed rode swiftly through the forest that created the elven realm of Mirkwood. The being was cloaked head to toe in different shades of gray with a pointed hat placed upon his head of equally gray locks. The monochromatic clothing matching the being's title perfectly seeing as he was in fact Gandalf the grey. _

_As he continued onwards the ancient wizard took several moments to mull over various thoughts and memories surrounding the palace of Mirkwood. Most were enjoyable and brought a smile to Gandalf's face, but his features fell when he remembered why he was here in the present._

_King Thranduil's beloved, the Queen of Mirkwood, had been murdered about three weeks ago, along with her guard during a random raid by the ever growing population of orcs in the area. This tragedy left Thranduil widowed and his young son without a mother. Both had been heartbroken when her body was recovered and many thought that the two would fade from grief and pain, successfully wiping out the royal line, but the majority had been wrong. The king was still kicking, and pressing forward with the protection of his kingdom. Legolas had also managed to survive the ordeal, but it was obvious to all that the once bubbly child had become much more reserved and drawn, hardly ever leaving his father's side._

_The man cloaked in grey was drawn from his thoughts as the looming stone structure finally appeared on the horizon. The fortress looked as daunting as it normally did, but as he grew closer he could feel the vulnerability of loss that surrounded the entire area. The dark cloud didn't just apply to the castle and surrounding forest, but the elves as well. The effects of grief were evident in the faces of the battalion of elves who were now approaching him. _

_There were about six in the group, all were clad in the earthy colors native to Mirkwood, and were armed with identical longbows, quivers, and arrows. _

"_Mae Govannan Mithrandir." (Well met Mithrandir)_

_The wizard inclined his head in response and smiled at the elf who had spoken._

"_Likewise Calanon, now would you please take me to see your king."_

"_Of course Mithrandir, please follow me."_

_With a nod from Gandalf, the elves turned and began walking, in a rather brisk pace, towards their home. The reasonably short trip through the forest and over the narrow stone bridge connecting the fortress to the trees was held in an almost silent manner. Only the occasional pleasantries were exchanged between Gandalf and Calanon. The situation turned awkward very quickly, so all in the company were secretly relived when the booming, yet slightly saddened voice of King Thranduil echoed over the area._

"_Hello Mithrandir! It is good to see you again; it has truly been too long since your last visit."_

_Gandalf smiled broadly as he saw the tall and richly robed figure of the king swiftly coming towards him, a tiny elfling at his side, clinging to his hand. _

"_I agree Thranduil."_

"_You have arrived at the perfect time, as usual. The other members of the meeting have been seated and are ready to start whenever I give them the call."_

_The wizard nodded and Thranduil called over one of the elves to take Gandalf's horse. _

"_Thank you Gailen."_

_The slender elf inclined his head in acknowledgement, before leading the wizard's steed off towards the stables. Once he was gone, Thranduil placed a hand on Gandalf's shoulder. _

"_Come mellon-nin, let us go in." (my friend)_

"_Lead on."_

_Thranduil smiled in return before heading back to the palace, Gandalf following behind him. After several minutes of mundane chatter between the two, the large door that hid the council room came into view. The elven-king stopped just before the door handle to kneel down and grip his son's hands in his own. He looked to the child with a smile._

"_Legolas, amin innas teli a toltha- lle ab-nin gûr tol or, maetha?" (Legolas, I will come and fetch you after my council is over, alright?)_

_The prince frowned and moved forward to tightly hug his father around the neck._

"_Ada, lothron amin teli ah lle? Amin car-al-iest an na-er." (Father, may I come with you? I do not wish to be alone.)_

_Thranduil sighed and wrapped his arms around his son's tiny form, kissing his forehead lovingly._

"_Lle innas ú na-er-ion-nin, amin innas al-iuith ha. Lle lothron teli innas nin." (You will never be alone my son, I will not allow it. You may come with me.)_

_Legolas buried his face deeper into the crook of his father's neck and mumbled a thank you._

"_Hannon lle ada, amin mela lle." (Thank you father, I love you.)_

_Thranduil lifted the child into his arms and moved to open the daunting doors in front of him._

"_Amin mela lle od ion-nin." (I love you too my son.)_

_With that the king pushed through the door, with Gandalf closely behind him, and moved to sit in the perch at the head of the table the other members of the meeting were sitting around. He placed Legolas on his lap, who contentedly leaned back against his father's chest, and gestured for Gandalf to come and sit in the open spot to his right. Once everyone was seated, Thranduil addressed the room and the council began._

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_Four hours later Thranduil finally emerged from the council room, a practically bouncing Legolas literally dragging him towards their private gardens. The rest of the council members could only watch in humor as the normally dignified king disappeared from sight and the ecstatic giggles of an elfling echoed off the walls of hallway._

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_Gandalf the grey hummed quietly as he strolled over the grounds of the Mirkwood palace. He had spent almost all of the day dealing with Thranduil's duties so the king could spend time with Legolas. It was clear to the wizard that the child needed some extra time with his father. However, the day was now coming to a close, for the sun was beginning to dip behind the tops of the trees, and the all the pressing issues had been dealt with. So now the wise being was enjoying the moments of peace that had opened up to him. _

_The wizard was about to turn down the hallway that led to the library, when he noticed a figure at the entrance to the beautiful gardens that belonged to the wood-elves. The being's once luxurious robes, and fair face, were now absolutely covered in various earthy smudges, and a small form was curled up, asleep, in the elf's arms with their head resting comfortably against the other's neck. Gandalf smiled when he recognized the taller elf as King Thranduil and the bundle in his arms as prince Legolas._

_Gandalf changed his direction and walked over to meet the king. _

"_Did you enjoy your day Thranduil?"_

_The wizard made his statement with a not so well hidden smirk, which Thranduil immediately picked up on. The wood-elf returned the smirk with a roll of his blue eyes._

"_Yes, couldn't you tell? But all jest aside, today truly was wonderful. I have been so busy lately that I have unfortunately not been able to spend as much time with Legolas as I would like."_

_Thranduil paused to look down at the elfling in his arms and brush a strand of golden hair from Legolas' face._

"_And then with his mother's…death…" Thranduil swallowed and closed his eyes in grief. He took a centering breath before once again looking to the wizard. "He has become so drawn Mithrandir. I am worried about him."_

_Gandalf nodded as a saddened sigh escaped his lips._

"_I understand your concern, but you mustn't blame yourself for the lack of time you have devoted to him. Your duties have increased tenfold recently, and that means that your amount of free time has become much more restricted. Now that being said, I was very glad that today you were able to spend the day with him…he is obviously missing your company."_

"_Thank you Mithrandir. As I said before, today was most enjoyable. I was however, surprised that I was not called upon today after I left the council room."_

_The wizard winked and sent the king a mirthful grin._

"_Amin lothron gar-tass a cam mîn taus." (I may have played a hand in that.)_

_Thranduil looked to Gandalf with wide and incredulous eyes, his mouth slightly agape. He then let go a rather un-kingly snort and shook his head._

"_Amin garn lle Mithrandir, hannon lle." (I owe you Mithrandir, thank you.)_

_The wizard only brushed him off with a wave of his hand._

"_You owe me nothing Thranduil."_

_The king scoffed and bowed his head in thanks. A slight squirming from the elf in his arms then captured his attention. He looked down to his son to find two bleary icy blue eyes staring up at him._

"_Ada?" (father)_

"_Yes tithin pen? Is something wrong?" (little one)_

"_No, it__ is nothing, I was just checking to make sure you were still there."_

_Thranduil frowned slightly when he felt Legolas' grip on his tunic and left hand tighten a little. He leaned down to kiss his son on the cheek and pulled him closer to his chest._

"_I would never leave you ion-nin. You should know that." (my son)_

"_I know ada." (father)_

_The king smiled as Legolas closed his eyes again._

"_Come on Legolas; let us get you to bed."_

_The elfling hummed and nodded gently. Thranduil then turned to Gandalf._

"_Thank you again mellon-nin. I shall see you tomorrow." (my friend)_

_The ancient wizard nodded._

"_Aye that you shall…"_

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"I later found out that Legolas had spent the entire day with Thranduil in the gardens making a tremendous effort to get his father as dirty as possible."

Gandalf smiled at the memory, and the fellowship surrounding him. Most of them also had expressions of amusement across their faces, but none of them were completely sincere. For, while Gandalf's story had been entertaining, it only made the elf's absence more pronounced in the minds of all eight walkers.

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**Please review! And again I am sorry about it being so long in-between updates.**

***Mithrandir is a secondary name for Gandalf**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry I didn't update yesterday, but I was busy most of the day and then I went to see a Bruno Mars concert, which was fantastic, and by the time I got home it was rather late. Please review!**

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A low and almost inaudible groan was heard as a pair of bleary blue eyes finally made a return appearance, for the pale eyelids that had at one point hid them, now fluttered open. The glassy orbs scanned the surrounding area as the slightly disoriented being regained his bearing. It only took several seconds for all of the memories to come flooding back.

Frodo…the orcs…insults being thrown around between captor and captive…pain…blackness.

Legolas blinked several times and tried to stretch his sore limbs, but became confused when he found that movement of his arms and legs had been almost completely cut off. The elf narrowed his eyes when he saw that his arms were bound to a tree behind his back, and his ankles and knees had been tied together at a very uncomfortable tightness. The prince also noticed that a magnitude of new gashes, bruises, and broken bones that he had not been the host to before he was dragged into cold blackness. The orcs had in no way been idle during his span of unconsciousness.

The topical injuries were not the only new thing Legolas noticed. While his surroundings were similar to the clearing he had been in before being knocked out, the one he was in now was different. The tree line was thicker and the open space he was seated in was much smaller in size. Legolas sighed with exasperation lacing voice, for now he was even farther away from his friends and therefore his chance of rescue.

The elf tugged at his bonds once again, testing their strength. He paused after several tries when he found that the rope the orcs had used wasn't wearing down anytime soon, that and the fact that because of the extra tightness at which the bonds were tied, the material was already biting painfully into the skin around his wrists. His ankles were a little bit better, but seeing as the orcs had taken his shoes, the milky white skin was pretty exposed. Legolas could feel the flesh underneath the ropes beginning to tear in several places, but that was not his main worry at the moment. His attention was now almost completely focused on the orcish leader, who was now arrogantly approaching him.

The foul beast was smirking with a crooked sense of pride that only seemed to intensify as he grew closer to the captive prince. In a matter of seconds the orc was inches away from Legolas' face. He sneered at the elf and flicked out his hand to quickly grab Legolas' chin harshly.

"Did you enjoy your nap your highness?"

The title was practically spat in the let's face, and the question was sarcastic and teasing.

Not wanting to give the orc the satisfaction of seeing how much the comment irritated him, the elf settled for nodding gently in mock thoughtfulness.

"Hmm...yes, very much so. My moments of unconsciousness allowed me some time away from seeing your disastrous excuse for facial features."

The orc's smirk dissipated immediately and a strained growl replaced it. He stared down the elf, who was returning the unyielding glare with defiance.

"You should watch your words elf. You don't know where they could land you."

As he spoke, his grip on Legolas' already bruised chin tightened. The elf scoffed at him sarcastically in response.

"For a supposed daunting creature, your threats are not evoking much terror within me."

By now several other orcs had gathered around the pair and all of them growled at the elf's statement. One or two of them made a move to lunge at the bound elf, but the irritated leader held them back. They protested loudly but he head orc cut them off and shut them up with a harsh shout. Once they were all quiet, he turned back to Legolas. The orc advanced on his captive and unsheathed a small dagger at his side with a drawn out motion.

"Well, we will have to change that won't we? After all, it is my duty as your captor to ensure that terror is the first thing on your mind, or maybe second…pain should be the first."

Several dark chuckles were heard from the other orcs around the area as the leader closed the remaining distance between himself and Legolas. He kneeled down in front of the elf and then much to the prince's surprise, instead of bearing the small knife down upon his skin, it sliced easily through the rope binding his hands to the tree. Now his hands were only tied by his wrists, and they hung loosely against his back. Brief confusion passed over his face, but it didn't last very long, for almost as soon as the ropes attached to the tree trunk was cut, he was spun around so his back was facing he orcs, and he was pulled up to his knees.

"Grab his hands and bring them forward, then you need to tie them to tree. We don't want him getting any ideas of escape now do we?"

Again the sentence was met with the cruel laughter of the orcs, their heavy footsteps mixing in as they traipsed over to restrain the elf even further. Soon Legolas' space for movement was absolutely non-existent.

The elf squirmed a little as he waited to see what was going to happen. His movements became more exaggerated when he felt the knife the leader still grasped, carelessly cut away his tunic. He winced ever so slightly when the lack of precision in the orc's cuts caused the blade to dig into his already damaged flesh. Soon the fabric was gone and Legolas' milky white skin was completely exposed along his back.

"Bring me the whip!"

Legolas' eyes widened a little as the possible severity of his situation dawned on him. He moved against his bonds again when he heard the leader approaching him from behind. The elf shivered involuntarily when the leader leaned down and sneered in his right ear.

"Alright elf, you ready?"

Replacing his defiant and cold mask, Legolas only growled and braced himself for what was to come.

"You do not bring me fear, and I will not bow to you."

The orc chuckled and pulled back, tightening his grip on the handle of the six tailed leather whip his soldiers had given him.

"Wrong answer."

It was then that he brought the leather down upon the elf's open back as hard as he possibly could. The elf's body jerked at the contact, but he didn't make a single sound. The leader smirked when he saw the streak of angry red welts spreading across the elf's back. He paused for one more second before laying into the elf.

It was lash after lash after lash, and soon the elf's back was nothing more than a bloody gore of welts and destroyed flesh, but that did not phase the brutal orc. He continued to beat the elf until finally a groan of pain escaped the elf's lips.

"Not so strong are we elf?"

Legolas only grit his teeth and released another low groan. The pain was now overwhelming him and he couldn't help but allow the sounds of agony to escape his lips. His body jerked again as the whip tore at his skin again. He swallowed thickly and squeezed his eyes shut. Slowly a reply was ground out from in between his clenched jaws.

"Lle naa nadorhuan rim." (You are cowardly dogs.)

Several orcs around him growled and the leader once again brought the whip down.

"Have it your way elf."

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**Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you guys for all of the kind reviews you have left for me! I am really glad that you are all enjoying my story. **

**Please review!**

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The sun beat down upon the backs of the fellowship as they hurried across the plains of Middle Earth. The group of eight travelers was moving at a reasonably fast pace, but they were being very careful to pace themselves so as not to tire themselves out too quickly…they had a lot of ground to cover if they were going to catch the orcs, and therefore Legolas.

They had been traveling since first light when Aragorn had found the orc's trail about a mile away from their previous campsite. As soon as the tracks had been confirmed as recent, the ranger whisked them off in chase. The tracks were leading south and the orcs seemed to be headed towards the fortress of Isengard, which was very worrying o the fellowship. Isengard wasn't exactly the ideal place for Legolas to be for too long. Now that being said, being around the orcs for too long in general wasn't a good thing for Legolas. The elf had already been with the orcs for two days, and that was much too long in the minds of most of the fellowship.

The prince's health wasn't the only thing weighing on the hearts of his companions, his absence overall was becoming very trying for them. The grace and lightness the elf brought was part of what had been keeping the mood away from morbid around camp, and without it the seriousness of their situation was absolutely crushing. However, it was affecting the ranger, Merry, and Pippin the most.

Aragorn was struggling because the elf was a very old and very dear friend; the two hobbits were saddened for reasons of a similar source. The Took and Brandybuck had quickly latched onto the prince's wise and witty humor, along with his kind heart and ability to see beauty in all creatures…well with the exceptions of orcs and the other foul beasts of Mordor. Legolas would often joke with the two curious hobbit's and tell them stories from the elven culture, his home, and the various adventures he had been on. The three had quickly become friends and greatly enjoyed each other's company.

So now, as the fellowship trekked across the barren land of the south, Merry and Pippin felt the lack of the elven personality heavily. The two were placed towards the front of the company with only Aragorn ahead of them. They were conversing amongst themselves in hushed and slightly secretive tones, not that their words consisted of any great secret. It was merely from a wish to keep the conversation between them, and only them.

"I miss Legolas, Merry."

"Aye Pip, but that's why we have to continue on, to save him from the orcs. You know, if he were here right now, he would probably have some insane story to tell us about some extravagant chase cross-country he had to complete."

Peregrin laughed with a certain grim humor and nodded towards his cousin.

"Probably…I wish he was here right now…Do you remember it Merry? When we first met him?"

The light brown haired hobbit nodded and a grin split his face.

"Of course I do! We saw him when he rode in with his soldiers…"

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_The Hidden Valley, or Rivendell as it was more commonly known, was bathed in the golden sunlight of late afternoon, and every elf that wandered about the area was deeply enjoying it. Many were meandering through the gardens, sticking close to the windows within their studies and rooms, or relaxing on the large stone balconies that adorned almost every outer wall of The Last Homely House._

_However, not every being in the vicinity was of elven decent, several men and dwarves had also made Rivendell their home for a short time. That being said, they were only present for the large council Elrond was holding at next morning's lights, so they would not being staying long. But they were not the only groups of creatures that seemed a little out of place in the elven realm, four hobbits were scattered around the area doing various things with their remaining time in the safety of Imlardis. The group consisted of Samwise Gamgee, Frodo Baggins, Meriadoc Brandybuck, and Peregrin Took, all hailing from the Shire. _

_At the moment, Sam and Frodo were somewhere with Bilbo, while Merry and Pippin had located a grand tree within the large gardens of Rivendell. The tree was casting a cooling shadow of shade, which the two were easily taking advantage of. They sat quietly with content smiles on their faces, simply enjoying each other's company and the beauty the Hidden Valley possessed._

_From their spot, they were also able to watch the comings and goings of the elves around them. Most had the dark raven colored hair of similarity to Lord Elrond and his family, but there was a minority of lighter haired elves. However, none were of anything brighter than a light auburn type brown. All of their clothing was made from rich and shimmering fabrics that only seemed to add to the unearthly glow the fair beings produced, and while some were clothed in simple tunics and leggings, others were dawned in regal robes that trailed behind them. _

_It was a very enjoyable pass time for the two, for there certainly a sense of leisure to it, well at least there was until the clatter of horse hoofs on stone broke through the silence. Merry and Pippin sat up with a jerk at the sudden noise and spun around with a lack of coordination as they tried to pin-point the direction in which the sound had originated._

_After several seconds of confusion, the hobbits were able to locate the origin as the large courtyard placed towards the entrance to Rivendell. From their current position, neither Merry nor Pippin could see anything with clarity, so they rose from underneath the tree and wandered around until they found a smaller tree they could rest under, which was much closer to the Imlardis gates._

_As soon as they had settled, the two watched with wide eyes as the source of the racket became known. A group of four elves clad in clocks of silver velvet, tunics of dark green, and leggings of a paler forest color were standing at attention besides their steeds. Most of their faces looked similar to the elves of Rivendell, brown hair, although it was a considerably lighter shade, with pale and fair faces. However, each of these elves carried long bows on their backs, and short knives on their hips. All of them looked like lethal warriors. _

_Inrigued, the halflings continued to stare as Lord Elrond came into the picture. The regal lord approached the four elves, smiling kindly. He placed a hand to his heart and murmured greetings in the elvish tongue, which the warriors returned with deep bows of their heads. Then suddenly they rose and parted down the middle, revealing a fifth elf, whose face was hidden behind the hood of his cloak. _

_Despite the fact they couldn't get a full view of the mysterious elf, the hobbits could definitely tell that there was something different about him._

_His clothing seemed richer than the others, for his tunic was a metallic silver-blue and his leggings were a light gray with tints of green. He wore light gray boots that reached almost up to his knees, and his cloak, unlike the others, was a light brown color of the same velvet. There was also a white longbow hooked to his back beside a quiver of arrows with green and yellow fetching. This elf was also much taller than the others, and was of slimmer build, but if anything he looked more deadly, for not only was he adorned with a bow, but two long knives were also attached to the harness on his back._

_The enigmatic being closed the remaining distance between himself and the lord of Rivendell with several long strides before dropping his head in a shallow bow, several strings of elvish flowing from his lips, and even though it was muted, both hobbits were absolutely entranced by the melodious quality the figure's voice held. Elrond smiled in return and placed a hand on the elf's shoulder. That was when the unknown being finally pulled away the hood of his cloak, causing Merry and Pippin to gasp._

_The elf had shinning blond hair that caught the late afternoon sun, which made it look like liquid gold. His face was of milky white flesh that seemed to glow, with a defined jaw and prominent cheek bones jutting out at masculine angles. He looked reasonably young, well for an elf, but his face held a quality of seriousness and wisdom. His eyes, which were an icy a piercing blue, held the same attributes. In short, the elf standing in front of Elrond was usually fair, even by the standards of elves._

_Merry and Pippin watched in fascination as the group of elves followed Lord Elrond up the large stone staircase at the edge of the courtyard, and into the main hall of the Last Homely House. The two remained silent until they were absolutely sure the elves were a good distance away, before turning to each other in excitement. The Took was the first to speak._

"_Do you think those are the wood elves Strider was talking about?"_

"_Aye Pip, they sure look like wood elves, but I would very much like to find out more about them."_

"_Especially the one at the front…he looked like a rather interesting fellow."_

_Merry looked to his cousin and nodded exuberantly._

"_Indeed he did Pip, indeed he did."_

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"Oh Legolas…"

Pippin trailed off as he lowered his head in sadness. Merry turned to him and patted his shoulder in a comforting motion, causing the Took to raise his head slightly.

"I just can't bear to think about what those horrid creatures are doing to him Merry. What if we don't get there in time and-"

Before he could finish the morbid thought, Pippin was silenced as Merry shot him a look and raised a hand, asking for his attention.

"Listen Pip, we are going to get Legolas back. We are going save him from the orcs and he is going to be fine, okay?"

The younger looked skeptical at his cousin's words, but not wanting to think of the latter, he nodded slowly.

"You are right Merry. The fellowship shall soon be nine once again."

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**Please review guys! I really love them!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry it has been so long in-between updates guy. I have been counseling at a summer camp all of last week and then this week as well, so I was pretty busy and therefore unable to type.**

**Thank you all so much for the reviews you have left, they truly warm my heart!**

**Please enjoy!**

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The sun finally slid behind the barren hills of Middle Earth, her* warming glow disappearing,to soon be replaced by the crushing darkness of night. However, the lack of light wasn't necessarily useless, it provided ideal cover for a certain pack of orcs carrying—actually more along the lines of dragging—a lone elf. But strangely enough, this group of savage creatures were ignoring the ideal conditions, and simply resting in a clearing placed among one of the few groupings of trees in the area. In fact, the orcs hadn't moved since they had arrived in said clearing the night before.

They had spent the entire day abusing the elf in their 'care' and arguing with each other. Why you may ask were they no longer sprinting across the plains towards their master's keep? Well, they were already about a day ahead of schedule, and they all wanted to have as much time as possible to torture the elf they had captured.

So now, as night dawned on them again, the majority of the group sat around sluggishly, some were even asleep. Only two orcs were actually on point, and it wasn't by choice. They had been put on a form of guard duty and they now sat at the edge of the camp, one by the north, and the other towards the south. However, the southward orc wasn't the only one on that side of camp, for still tied—with his back to the orcs, on his knees, hands high above his head—was the prince of Mirkwood.

The elf had been beated into oblivion several hours before by the hand of the leader, aided by his whip, ans he was now beginning to wake and gain his bearing. Unfortunately, once he regained consciousness, he also regained the ability to feel all of the pain his body was hosting once again. As he continued to drag himself from the darkness of oblivion, a groan of audible pain pushed its way passed his clenched jaw and cracked lips.

"Nuuta yrchin." (Damn orcs)

Legolas cracked his eyes open and found himself still staring at the same tree trunk he had been hours ago, before he had passed out from a mixture of pain, malnutrition, and exhaustion. He blinked several times to clear his eyesight, and once he was done, the elf attempted to move his aching and sore limbs; big mistake.

The prince had to bite his tongue to contain his near howl as pain shot from his wrists, shoulders, and back with a vengeance. Taking several moments to calm his heart and mind, Legolas finally managed to bring the pain back to semi-bearable level. Sighing with exasperation at his uncomfortable predicament, the Mirkwood elf glanced up at the ropes binding his hands to the tree…they weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Now that being said, the way his wrists had been tied allowed for some movement, and Legolas intended to make full use of that. You see the thought process was, that if he could get off his knees, then that would allow relief for at least one section of his body. Now to do this, he needed to somehow turn himself around so he could sit facing the orcs, and stretch his legs out in front of him. So then, with pain overwhelming his logical thought, Legolas decided to try his planned maneuver.

Legolas hissed when—during the attempt to change the position of his body—the still sluggishly bleeding wounds, irritated welts, and raw flesh covering his back was disturbed. The large expanse of muscle twitched as the entire area throbbed horribly, and an involuntary shudder coursed through the elf's body as he tried to combat the growing pain within him. As the pain continued to flare, Legolas quietly chastised himself.

"Mankoi car-amin gar-an cuinar innas sen botuu dram ned sabar?! Amin si henia-mankoi gwaith dath ada-nin!" (Why do I have to live with this moronic streak of mine?! I now understand why people pity my father!)

After he was finished with his personal rant, Legolas took an unstable breath to center him, and give his mind a moment to think through what he should do next. Unfortunately, Legolas was unable to decide for himself, for in that moment, the southward facing guard sauntered over to the tree Legolas was tied to.

"Ah finally awake…you need to work on your endurance elf, it isn't nearly as strong as you claim it to be."

The foul beast sent his words with an ugly snarl that did an overly thorough job of showcasing his yellowing, rotting, and minimal teeth. The orc dropped to a squat beside the elf and leaned over his back, purposely touching as many of the prince's wounds as possible, and whispered in his ear.

"You are rather fun to play with though."

Legolas growled lowly at the back of his throat and turned his head—as much as he possibly could in his position—so he was making some sort of eye contact with the orc. He looked towards the beast with obvious contempt and ground out a reply.

"Dolle naa pathro innas noen breged a dhaeraow ind!" (Your head is filled with senseless violence and traitorous thoughts)

The orc growled and grabbed Legolas' chin. He then used his other hand to forcefully draw the elf's jaw open, before he drew his scimitar** and placed it against Legolas' tongue, who blanched significantly at the foul taste of old blood and gore from long dead enemies.

"I would recommend not using that foul speech of yours while we are around, or my hand may just be forced to silence you permanently."

He lingered for several more seconds before pulling the blade away and allowing Legolas to close his mouth. The orc chuckled darkly when Legolas turned his head and spat out any remaining taste from the sword.

"Get used to it elf, you are going to be here a while."

Legolas grimaced as the harsh laughter of the orc burned his sensitive ears. Hoping that if he ignored the beast he would leave, the elf contented himself with turned his cold stare back to the bark of the tree he was still tethered to.

Unfortunately this only seemed to anger the orc even further. He snarled at his captive and smacked Legolas across the least healed section of his back, shouting all the while.

"You spoiled princeling, how dare you turn away from me!?"

He delivered several more hits to the being's already destroyed back, completely ignoring the fact that Legolas was writhing in utter agony, and barely suppressed and muffled screams were falling from his lips. The elf started seeing the black rings around his vision and hoped with a vengeance that the blissful protection of unconsciousness would take him once again, but he was cruelly denied that luxury.

Then finally, the orc stepped away, leaving Legolas shaking in misery, the beginnings of unshed tears brimming his blue orbs. The elf was also now having to practically gasp for breath as his body screamed at him and the pain clouded his mind.

"Weakling…"

The orc scoffed and spat at the elf before returning gracelessly to his post, leaving Legolas to suffer alone.

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**Sorry it was kind of short, but please review!**

***The elves refer to the sun as female.**

****A scimitar is a type of sword very similar to the blades described for the orcs**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry my updating schedule has been a little wacky…I kinda fell off the wagon…but that isn't important at the moment. What's important is the fact that I finally finished this chapter, and you can all continue the journey that this story is taking you on! Or at least I hope his story is taking you somewhere, you know make you feel some sort of something…Sorry I ramble. So another thing is that I took a little bit of freedom when it came to the events of the council of Elromd. I set it in the movie verse, but I added a little bit of drama to the elf's part of the argument by not having Legolas speak, but his elven soldiers instead.**

**Please enjoy my dear readers, and please send me your thoughts through a lovely little thing called a review!**

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The past day had been tiring, disappointing, and genuinely frustrating for the eight remaining members of the fellowship. They had practically run themselves into the ground when, early on during their trek cross country, the main tracker, Aragorn, had discovered that the pack of orcs had once again increased their speed, and had therefore added a concerning amount of distance between the elf and his rescue party.

So the group had pushed themselves to their absolute limits, until finally they had to stop and set up camp before their bodies betrayed them completely. As soon as they stopped, all of them immediately settled in for sleep, not even bothering to start a fire, or fully unpack for a meal. That is, all except for one. Aragorn was desperate to continue on, even after the sun had set, and the fellowship was practically begging him to slow down or stop. However, soon he had to give into their requests and slow his pace, and eventually stop. You could visibly see the pain in his face as he looked towards the horizon, where he knew Legolas was hidden behind.

Unfortunately, there really wasn't anything he could do about it at this point, for if he pushed his companions any further, he knew the consequences wouldn't be good. Defeated, the ranger settled down beside Frodo and Sam, across from Boromir, Gandalf, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin.

Several moments of terse silence passed, for the ranger was too grieved to speak, and the others didn't know exactly what to say. Then finally Pippin broke the silence when his pity towards the ranger overwhelmed his worries about being awkward.

He spoke with a definite hesitant air, but at the same time, you could sense the genuine emotion in his words.

"Aragorn, I am sorry that we are slowing you down in your pursuit of Legolas. It must be hard to be away from a friend under these circumstances."

The man looked up and smiled grimly towards the light-brown haired hobbit. However, his face quickly changed as he shook his head with a sigh.

"No my dear friend, you are not hindering me. Please do not mistake my sadness for anger or resentment towards you all, it is only grief for the fact that I know he is out there, he is probably in pain, and there is nothing I can do to help him."

Pippin nodded in response.

"I am sorry that we can't help more."

"The fact that you are coming after him and aiding me is more than enough Pippin. I owe you my thanks."

The hobbit grinned morbidly and once again the silence fell across the group. No one was really sure what else they should add. Whether exhaustion or sadness was the cause, none of them were completely sure.

Then, much to everyone's surprise, Boromir was the next to speak up. The Gondorian's gaze was pasted to the ground at his feet, and his voice held a surprising amount of emotion.

"Well, despite the fact that he is probably in much more pain than he should be at the moment, we all know that Legolas isn't going to give in to his captors with putting up an impressive fight. I have seen the ire he can posses if he is in need of it, and to be quite honest he would not be someone I would want in hunt of me."

Everyone in the fellowship looked towards the soldier with expressions akin to confusion, agreement, and grim humor. None of them wanted to interrupt him, so all waited silently as Boromir continued on.

"Do you recall Gimli, after the council? That was not something I ever want to see again."

All turned to look at the dwarf, who merely grumbled into his beard for a response. In turn, Boromir raised his eyebrows in question.

"Come now, now is not the time for your dwarfish pride, or quarrels between your race and the elves, there is nothing you can say to deny what we saw."

"Which was what exactly?"

The man turned to smile at the ring bearer.

"Ah I apologize for my cryptic words Frodo. I was referring to the elf's anger that he portrayed while speaking to his escorts after the argument during the council. My soldiers and I were headed back to our rooms, the group of dwarves nearby, when we stumbled upon a rather angered Legolas."

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_Five men from Gondor, and six dwarves from Erebor moved quickly and silently through the open halls of Imlardis. One man and dwarf in particular, were very tense, with their shoulders set, and faces schooled into masks of fearlessness. However, despite their clam façades, churning wildly inside them was a storm of worry, fear, and dread, for these two beings—Boromir from Gondor and Gimli son of Gloin—had just volunteered for a quest that would bring them to heart of Mordor, and they will brush with death itself._

_However, their thoughtful silence was disturbed by several very angry shouts in the silver tinged tongue of elvish._

"_Lle pethin sí tog-nin, lle gwaith, a Heruamin Elrond—ai edra-an lle-fuia!" (Your words here bring me, your people, and Lord Elrond—who opened his home to you-shame!)_

_The group of dwarves and men looked o each other with heightened confusion and curiosity. So, giving into temptation, the men and dwarves slowly approached the area from which the harsh reprimand was emanating from. As they grew closer, the shouting rose in volume—anger as well—and the words switched to the common tongue, so now the men and dwarves could clearly follow the scolding._

"_You describe yourselves as gracious and brave soldiers, loyal to Mirkwood, but what I saw in there were a group of petty and over confident fools and children! I do not care if you were baited, or if you were openly insulted, an elf in your position needs to hold their composure and keep their egos under control!"_

_Several of the men looked to the dwarves with raised eyebrows, only to find that the stout creatures were wearing similar expressions of disbelief in what they were hearing. However, they were still not able to see who was shouting, and who was being shouted at. Deciding to remedy that, they inched closer and eventually found a concealed spot where they could watch the event unfold with unhindered sight._

_Their eyes all widened when they saw three elves—two blond and one brown haired—kneeling, in a line, with their heads bowed in shame. All of them were being heavily berated by a tall, lithe, blond, and seething elf in front of them. He had his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his pale skin was slightly flushed across his cheeks from rage, and his blue eyes were sparkling with untamed anger. The intimidating figure was recognized as the elf from Mirkwood who had forcefully pulled his escorts away from the argument that broke out amongst the elves and dwarves, before evolving into a full out altercation between all present. However, none could recall his name._

"_You blame the dwarves for being stubborn and over confident, but take a look at yourselves! Today you allowed them to drag you down and openly bicker like old maidens! If you believed that to be acceptable then I am ashamed in myself as well, for that means that I have failed with your training as respectful warriors! Now I shall not being leaving for Mirkwood with you, but do not think that this outburst will not be punished more severely once you return to our realm. Is there anything you would like to say in your defense?"_

_Silence followed the elf's question as he scrutinized the soldiers in front of him. After several seconds the prince gestured for the elves to rise. _

"_Now go and gain some rest. I would like you to think on your actions."_

_The three bowed deeply to the elf in front, before slinking away in the direction of their rooms._

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"That doesn't sound like Legolas at all."

Sam spoke with something akin to disbelief in his voice.

"Legolas can be kind and loyal as you have seen, but it is in moments such as those that it becomes clear he is Thranduil's son. Out of everything the king gave to him, his infamous temper is definitely the most terrifying."

Aragorn stated with a twinge of exasperation, eliciting several muted chuckles from the group. He looked up to them in confusion.

"What?"

Merry raised his hands in defense.

"Nothing Aragorn, it is just that the way you spoke made me wonder, have you had some personal experience with Legolas and his various moods?"

There was a definite playfulness within the hobbit's voice that caused the ranger to smile and feign thoughtfulness.

"Well…let me see…"

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**I really hope you guys like this chapter, and I really hope you guys review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**So I would like to thank everyone who has favorite, followed, reviewed, and read this story! Oh and a quick little note, the t key on my computer isn't working very well—for reasons unknown to me—so I apologize if some words are missing the twentieth letter of the alphabet. **

**Please enjoy!**

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Legolas winced as his already bruised and bloodied temple crashed into yet another large piece of stone embedded in the earth. It caused his severely concussed head to pound with a near unbearable pain, and blur his vision dangerously. The injury also caused his stomach to churn wildly, for the brain damage brought a mess of nausea down upon him. The elven prince closed his eyes in an attempt to quell the overwhelming urge to vomit, and was thankfully successful. However, the archer was almost completely positive that, should the sick feeling arise again, he wouldn't be so lucky.

His head wound wasn't the only thing that had progressively gotten worse over the past five days. Almost every injury and hindrance that covered his body was now causing him much more pain than they did when this misfortune began.

The mass of cuts and welts—that formed a morbid art of crisscrosses over his chest, back, arms, and legs—had become infected, for the original wounds weren't able to heal when they were first created, and were then continually reopened, therefore allowing dirt, grime, and other germs to enter the sensitive wounds.

His battered skin was also now draped across a structure of calcium and nutrient deprived bones and muscles, making the already lithe elf appear close to skeletal. Despite the well known fact that elves could survive for long amounts of time without food, the taxing beatings and travel were using up whatever calories that the elf had stored previously, and he had then been denied the sustenance need to replenish the lost, and essential, nutrients. Now, not only were his bones weakened by the lack of food, but they had also been broken, healed, and then re-broken, so many times, that Legolas had lost track of what state they were currently in. However, he was definitely very well aware of the multitude of broken and cracked ribs, the dislocated right shoulder, hip, and left knee, the broken left collar bone, the sprained right ankle and wrist, and finally the fracture residing in his jaw.

With all of the injuries combined, the prince was beginning to seriously worry, for while his mind remained strong and defiant—well as much as it could with the concussion—his body and its natural functions were beginning to fail him. Breathing shot sharp stabs of white hot pain through his entire being, moving his limbs even more so, and now thinking was beginning to become strenuous and unfavorable. His current condition could really only be described by a select choice of words, such as, near death, catastrophic, and drowning quickly…not particularly ideal. Legolas knew these factors were also only leading him in one direction, a slow, painful, and imminent death.

Determined to try and change his rapidly approaching and tragic fate, the elven noble had come to the conclusion that waiting for rescue was no longer wise, and an escape attempt was his best option.

So now—as he was dragged by his bound ankles across the uneven terrain of Middle Earth—Legolas took a centering breath and waited for the best moment to execute his reasonably hap-hazardous escape plan, which entailed the following:

Early on during his capture, Legolas had managed to swipe a minuscule dagger from one of the orcs as they re-fractured his ribs. He had then somehow managed to conceal it within his remaining clothes, aka his leggings. His tunic had left him by the second day, courtesy of his captors, while the clothing covering the bottom section of his body was mostly intact. Only the fabric from his ankles to his knees had become seriously damaged, the rest was only slightly torn and soiled with blood from the beatings, and dirt from the constant dragging, so they automatically become the best placed to hide the weapon.

It had actually been surprisingly easy. The orcs had never bothered to check him after they had initially stripped him of his weapons...big mistake on their part. They should have known better, elves are free roaming creatures, keeping one tied up for too long can bring out their creative, and dangerous streak.

Legolas had hid it for three days as he formed his plan, and allowed a proper opening to show itself, and that opening was now.

The elf gazed around at the surrounding orcs and once he was sure their attention wasn't on him, he hurriedly grabbed for the knife and began discreetly, yet frantically, cutting away at the bonds around his wrists. He constantly checked his captors to make sure that they weren't becoming suspicious of him, and found that thankfully, they remained ignorant to his actions.

Soon he had removed a good section of the heavy rope, and moved onto the next. As he cut, the adrenaline and dare he say fear, rapidly increased within his bloodstream. He knew that once he was free he had to immediately break free from the orc holding him, and make a break for anywhere away from here. Fighting would be ridiculous and counterproductive, there were simply too many of them for him to fend off on his own. The only fighting he would be doing would be absolutely necessary killings that would bring him closer to freedom. The other issue that would arise were his injuries; they were definitely considered a hindrance. He could barely walk with his hip, knee, ankle, and ribs in their current state. Running, or even a fast paced walk would be impossible to obtain, so his only option would be to flee at the perfect moment and gain enough distance for the orcs to lose interest. As he cut the final section away from his wrists, he put his plan into action.

Legolas swiftly brought the knife upwards and sliced through both the rope around his knees and his ankles in one motion. Then with a graceful—well slightly less graceful than he usually was, he could only do so much with his body in such a state—twisting motion, the elf flipped himself out of the orcs grasp, landing firmly on the ground with a resonating thump and gasp of excruciating pain. He lay there dazed for about half a second before he regained his bearing and tried to raise himself up from the ground. He rose onto unsteady legs, or leg seeing as his left knee made that leg unusable. His right hip was also causing him much pain, but at least it could somewhat support him. However, despite the fact that he was fully upright, the archer was barely able to move due to the nausea and pain. He swayed dangerously with his eyes closed, before a dark chuckled caused him to snap them open and hold the dagger out with a barely threatening air. Legolas narrowed his eyes at the leading orc who stood in front of him, sword raised.

"And what do you think you are doing your highness?"

The orc mocked him cruelly, tauntingly thrusting his sword towards the elf's chest. Legolas stumbled backwards to avoid the blade, causing the surrounding orcs to laugh, sneer, and jeer at him. However, the elf remained strong and hardened his features.

"I am leaving you horrid beast."

The leader let out a howling laugh and looked skeptically towards the archer.

"Is that so? And how do you plan to do that? You are armed with nothing but a stolen dagger and you can barely stand."

Several more chuckles were heard from the subordinate orcs, and once again jabbed his blade towards the elf, this time sending the small knife flying from the Mirkwood resident's flimsy grasp. Legolas watched it fall to the ground, before it was snatched up by the closest orc. He inwardly cursed himself as he felt the hope of his escape quickly fly far out of his reach.

"Well seeing as you are no longer armed, and you are about to collapse, it is time to make sure that hopes of escape are permanently wiped from your system. Don't you agree boys?"

Several cheers of agreement sounded throughout the group, causing the leader to smirk.

"Aye, well then let us begin."

With that the hoard descended upon the weakened form of the prince, who immediately crumpled to the ground unconscious, the orcs having barely touched him. His body was simply too exhausted to continue supporting his weight any longer. It only took mere moments for the leader to shout once again.

"Stand down! He is already down for the count."

The orcish leader received several disapproving noises, which only caused an amused smile to play across his lips.

"We need him in one piece, well for now at least."

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**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Please review guys! I really want to hear from you…please…**

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For the first time in seven days, a smile—a genuine smile—was playing across the weathered lips and stubbly cheeks of the ranger from the North. It was a truly pleasant sight to see, and it brought everyone around him some sort of hope that their chase would succeed. Why you may ask was the man smiling so? Well, the fellowship had finally been able to gain some decent ground on the orc pack carrying Legolas. It hadn't been easy, but by pushing themselves past the limits they had previously set, the group of eight had managed to further extend their advantage and was now officially a day's travel away from catching the beasts. The fact that for some reason the orcs had paused in their trek cross country had also aided the rag-tag team of hobbits, men, dwarf and wizard. Unsure of what exactly had caused this delay; Aragorn could only hope that it was Legolas continuing to put a fight.

So now, as the sun finally left the sights of the eight walkers, the group stopped and settled for the night. A slap dash meal was made by Sam over a not so sturdy fire, the food was absolutely devoured, and then bed rolls were laid out and tired bodies filled them, some immediately being swallowed by the comfort of sleep. However, this time there was no foul mood about the ones still awake, no tossing and turning as the dwarf, wizard, and Gondorian slept, and no awkward and tense silences created by Aragorn. In fact said ranger was in the middle of a hushed, yet lively, conversation with the four young hobbits.

The group from the Shire had noticed that the man hadn't settled in for sleep, but instead had contented himself with taking a post as a guard, so they had moved their bedding closer to him and made themselves comfortable—well as comfortable as they could be—and started chattering away.

"How long have you and Legolas been friends Aragorn?"

The man looked upon Pippin with a certain fondness in his eyes and gestured for the others to come closer, sensing more questions would soon arise.

"Well, I have known the child of Mirkwood for a little more than eight decades, for our first meeting was when I was around the age of five years."

When he saw the looks of slight disbelief, the ranger chuckled and nodded.

"I tell you no jest dear hobbits; I truly have known Legolas since I was a small child. He was delivering a message to Lord Elrond for his father, and after his journey, he remained in Rivendell for a span of about a week. You see he was very good friends of the twin sons of Elrond—Elladan and Elrohir—and he hadn't seen them for many years. That was when I ran into him, quite literally I might add. I was being chased by the twins through the gardens, I wasn't paying attention to what was in front me, and I ended up crashing head first into two tall and well muscled legs. Confused, I looked up to find a blond elf with a fair face that I did not know. I stumbled backwards and nearly tripped over my feet again, but he caught me."

The hobbits laughed at the man with mirth and a definite teasing tone. Aragorn blushed lightly at the attention but brushed it off easily and chuckled along with them.

"I know, not my most dignified moment, but from then on we became very close. Seeing as he had no siblings of his own, he became very protective of me, while I followed him everywhere whenever he would visit, and as I grew up all I wanted to be was just like him. Our bond then grew, and we shall now always be brothers, not of blood, but heart."

By now the laughter had subsided, and the five beings were simply sitting in comfortable silence. However, it didn't last long…hobbits are very inquisitive.

"Why does he call you Estel?"

"Ah, t'is a good question Sam. As I said before, I met Legolas as a child when I was living in Rivendell. This means that I was still under the protection of Lord Elrond and I was ignorant to my true heritage. Lord Elrond wanted to keep me in that position during my naïve years as a child, so he gave me an elvish name, Estel. Now I can only guess, but that was what Legolas met me as, and I guess that he decided to continue using it."

Aragorn received several nods of understanding before he was once again questioned.

"Are the rumors true? Is Legolas really one of the most feared archers in Middle Earth?"

The man chuckled and smiled.

"Aye, though he doesn't always wish to admit it…the elven trait of modesty. Anyway, because of his skill, he has also been branded a very sought after teacher, but believe me he hates it. He constantly had elves asking for him to show them the proper way to hold a bow, or even just show them his shot on a target, but he always declined. And yet, for some reason, he agreed to teach me."

"Really?"

"Aye Frodo, he started teaching me at the age of ten years. I was so excited to have him teach me and all I wanted to do was make a good impression on my closest friend, but my first archery lesson ended up being a complete disaster."

The hobbits looked at the now sheepish looking ranger with confusion.

"What happened?"

"Well Merry, I was in the process of aiming for the closest target, when I let go of the arrow, but instead of it hitting the sought after area…I ended up shooting Legolas in the foot…"

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_Legolas Thranduilion* stood tall at one end of the Imlardis archery range, his piercing cobalt blue eyes scanning the lush grassy field in front of him. He had just finished setting up for the archery lesson he would be holding in several minutes. Why he was holding a lesson in the first place, he wasn't entirely sure of. The Mirkwood elf had always declined any other offers, but when this one had come into play, he couldn't help but accept, for the student had become very dear to him, and he honestly couldn't say no to him._

_So now the small field was equipped with nine different targets, all if which had been placed at the other end of the area. Three of them were placed in a line at the edge, the next line of three were placed in front of them about a third of the way in, and the last three were in front of the second line, two thirds in. Legolas had also gathered a practice bow of suitable size for his student along with a quiver of arrows. The smaller weapon was slung over his shoulder next to his own long bow, quiver, and twin knives. Seeing as everything was in place, Legolas only had to wait for his student to arrive, and judging by the light pitter patter of feet that he was now hearing, the youngling he was scheduled to teach was on his way._

_Mere seconds later a loud shout of his name caused him to turn towards the gateway of the archery range._

"_Vedui'mellon-nin!" (Greetings my friend)_

_Said elf smiled at the short figure running towards him, placing his hand over his heart in the traditional elvish greeting._

"_Quel amrun Estel. Sut naa lle umien sina re?" (Good morning Estel. How do you fare today?)_

_By now the ten year old human had reached Legolas and stood in front of him with a goofy grin, as usual._

"_Rather swell, thank you. I would've helped you set up if you wanted."_

"_Nay Estel it is fine, now I gather that you are eager to get started, am I wrong?"_

"_No not at all! I am very excited to have you teaching me."_

_Smiling, the elf nodded and reached to grab the bow off his shoulder. Once it was free, he handed down to the human child, who grabbed it tightly and held it up to pull lightly on the string in a mock action of firing an arrow. Legolas chuckled at his enthusiasm and led him over to a mark he had created on the ground. Once Estel was standing in the correct position, Legolas started to speak, but was interrupted by an outburst from the child._

"_Your hair looks funny like that 'Las."_

_The elf paused and looked to his younger friend with raised eyebrows. However, the human wasn't necessarily wrong, for Legolas had tied his hair back in a loose tail, his warrior braids tucked into the sides, while he had been setting up the targets and had forgotten to untie it. _

"_Insulting your teacher after only five minutes? That must be a record Estel."_

_The child giggled as Legolas lightly cuffed him on the shoulder before reaching up and letting his golden hair cascade down his back in its normal fashion. _

"_Is this up to your approval?"_

_The child stared at his elvish friend critically before nodding._

"_Aye, much better."_

"_I am glad to hear you approve mellon-nin, now would you like to actually start your lesson?" (my friend)_

_Estel laughed and nodded, allowing Legolas to begin to teach._

_An hour later, Legolas had shown Estel the proper way to hold a bow, notch an arrow, pull back and release the string, aim for the target, check for wind, and measure other hindrances within the surrounding area. He had also spent a reasonable amount of time explaining to Estel that the bow wasn't just an object one held, but an extension of the warrior's body, and that it must be treated as such. _

_So now it was time for the boy to actually take a shot at the target. With the help of Legolas, he notched an arrow and aimed for the closest target. His arms and hands shook from the unusual amount of strain, and the result was the arrow traveling about a four feet in front of him. _

"_That was fantastic for a first shot Estel!"_

_The boy frowned and shook his head, dropping his gaze and chin towards the ground._

"_No it wasn't. The twins said that your first shot actually hit the target. Mine barely went anywhere."_

_Legolas sighed and kneeled down to be level with the boy. He slowly tilted his chin upwards, smiling sweetly._

"_Aye, they are correct, but you are not Legolas Thranduilion, but Estel Elrondion, and that means that you shall learn however Estel Elrondion learns. Now that might mean that your first tries aren't up to your satisfaction, but if you accept that, and move forward in your learning as Estel, then you will be able to someday become whatever you wish, including an excellent bowman."_

_A small smile covered Estel's face and he nodded. _

"_Your right 'Las. Can I try again?"_

_Legolas chuckled lightly and straightened._

"_Of course little one."_

_So once again Legolas helped Estel place the arrow, but this time when the boy drew back the string, he let him do it on his own, and much to the child's pleasure, he managed to pull the string back all the way, but unfortunately the strain became too much and one of his hands slipped from the string. This caused the arrow to go way off course and straight down, which also meant that it went straight down into the left foot of Legolas. _

"_Ai Estel!" _

_The startled and pained shout from his friend caused Estel to jump and turn to see what was wrong. He paled drastically when he saw Legolas slowly lowering himself to the ground, his face screwed up in pain, and his arrow embedded deeply in the elf's foot, blood seeping through his left shoe._

"_Legolas! I am so sorry!"_

_The child dropped to the elf's side, who was now sitting on the ground looking at his injured foot with distaste._

"_It is alright Estel, it was merely an accident, and in no way is it life threatening."_

"_Maybe so, but you are in a lot of pain."_

_Legolas forced a smile and shook his head._

"_I'll survive. Now I need to remove the arrow and then go see your ada okay?" (father)_

_Estel nodded and looked worriedly towards his friend as the elf leaned forward and firmly grabbed the tail of the arrow. He took a centering breath and with one sharp motion, plucked the weapon from his foot. Legolas groaned loudly in pain and flopped back to the ground, his breath heavy and eyes squeezed shut._

"_Legolas?! Are you okay?"_

_It took several seconds but slowly the elf rose and Estel rose with him._

"_Aye, now let's go find Lord Elrond."_

"_Okay."_

_Then, leaning heavily on the human and keeping all weight of his throbbing foot, Legolas slowly hobbled into the Last Homely House. Thankfully the two were quickly found by several elves of Rivendell, and they provided a much more stable aid to the healer's study. When they reached the room, they were joined by Elladan and Elrohir, who were headed to ask their father a question about some sort of upcoming event, but as soon as they saw the rather pale Legolas, and the sheepish Estel, they knew their question could wait._

"_What happened to you Legolas?"_

_The elvish prince looked at them with slight exasperation and quickly waved them off._

"_Nothing, we merely had an accident on the archery range. I should be fine as soon as my foot is bound."_

_Skeptical, and altogether too curious, the twins pressed on._

"_What sort of accident?"_

"_Not one that concerns you. Now if you will excuse me, I would like to get my foot tended to before I bleed to death."_

_Then turning to the still very upset child, he offered a reassuring smile._

"_I will find you later Estel. Why do you go wait in gardens and I will find you once I am done here, deal?"_

_When he received nothing more than a barely noticeable nod, he frowned._

"_Mellon-nin honestly, I am alright. Do not give yourself too much grief." (my friend)_

_Those being his final words of advice, the prince allowed himself to be led into Lord Elrond's study, leaving the young boy with the twins, who immediately advanced on their younger brother._

"_Estel, what did you do?"_

* * *

"The twins still tease me whenever they have the chance." There were several seconds of stunned and humorous silence before Pippin started giggling. Soon it bloomed into a full out laugh and the others joined him.

"You shot him in the foot!"

"Aye, I shot our dear elf in the foot with my second arrow."

"And he still taught you?"

"Surprisingly, yes. Legolas ended up being my only archery instructer, so he taught me everything I know."

The group nodded, and then a thought of Merry's dreamily passed his lips.

"I wonder if Legolas would give me a lesson in archery. What do you think Aragorn?"

"I cannot answer that Merry, but you will be able to ask him yourself tomorrow night…and trust me when I say that I will do everything I can to make sure that happens."

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**So I decided to do something more mundane for Aragorn's chapter, because the next one is the rescue chapter and that should be rather exciting. **

**Please review guys! **

***Adding ion (which means son in elvish) onto the end of the father's name translates to son of_. So Thranduilion means son of Thranduil.**


	11. Chapter 11

**So this is the anticipated rescue chapter! That also means that the next chapter shall be the last chapter, unfortunately for me because I have really liked typing this story…**

**Please review!**

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Aragorn skirted skillfully and silently along the borders of a rather large clearing, his seven companions following behind him with a distance of about eight or nine feet separating them. The group of eight was currently trying to find an ideal vantage point in which to strike the beings—who were currently occupying said clearing—without being detected beforehand. Why you may ask, were these travelers planning an attack on this area? Well, the beings, that had previously been mentioned, were none other than a group of orcs with a single elf among them. Indeed they had finally done it; the fellowship had caught up with Legolas and his captors.

All of them could taste the sweetness that would be Legolas' rescue, but it was still just beyond their reach, for at least forty-five orcs stood between the elf and his friends, and getting past them would be in no way easy. This wasn't, unfortunately, the only thing that was going to cause the fellowship some trouble. The lack of light—due to the fact that it was deep into the middle of the night—had restricted the fellowship's field of vision drastically, Legolas was probably also in no state to walk on his own, or at all, and would therefore need one of the fellowship to help him instead of fight, and finally, the vile beasts were currently occupying themselves with brutally torturing the already abused elf. Add all of those together and you get an extremely difficult maze to navigate through in order to complete the intended rescue. This was in no way however, going to stop the fellowship from trying anyway.

So now—as his companions caught up with him—Aragorn started to plan his attack. He crouched down in the semi-safe cover of some darkened shrubbery, gesturing for Gandalf, Gimli, the hobbits, and Boromir to join him. Almost immediately they were all gathered around each other with the ranger chattering away in a secretive whisper.

"Battling through them all would be pointless, for while we could probably take them all out, they would be given an opportunity to either harm Legolas further, kill him, or use him as a bargaining piece. Our best bet for success is probably going to be send six of us on the attack as a diversion, while the other two find a way around the fight and free Legolas without the orcs knowledge. Once he is free—depending on the number of orcs remaining—we could continue to fight or break away."

"We should fight. Running away would only risk the chance of being found again."

After a moment of contemplation, everyone nodded in agreement with the ranger and the Gondorian. Gimli spoke next, with a matter of fact tone that extenuated the severity of the situation.

"Now for the question of who should fight and who should free the elf."

"Well, I would like to be one of the people to free Legolas so I can at least glance at his wounds."

"That sounds fine Aragorn, why don't you have two of the hobbits come with you?"

"Very well, which of you would like to aid me?"

There was a tense silence as the ranger searched the terrified faces of the four halflings around him. Their pensiveness soon dissipated however, as both Merry and Pippin volunteered simultaneously.

"I'll go with you."

Aragorn chuckled quietly as they looked to each other with surprise.

"Thank you my friends. As I said before, we will go and find a spot closer to Legolas. You all need to watch for our signal and once you see it, attack."

The group shared a moment of agreement before Aragorn straightened enough to move around properly, the hobbits following behind him almost silently.

In a matter of minutes Aragorn had navigated through the surrounding greenery—the orcs still oblivious—and found a spot directly behind the tree Legolas was tied to. From his position he could, unfortunately, get a perfect view of the orcs and their movements, which were at the moment highly distressing to the bound elf. The group of beasts were enjoying themselves by ripping apart Legolas already damaged flesh with a whip. The constant smack of the leather against skin was sickening to the ranger and hobbits, for with each one a low grunt of barely contained agony would seep passed the emotionless façade Legolas was putting forward.

Not wanting his friend's torture to continue any longer, Aragorn turned to Merry and Pippin, and with a barely audible whisper recapped his plan. Once the other members of the fellowship started to fight, he would take out the remaining orcs surrounding Legolas while they untied him and with luck, helped him stand. Then hopefully Aragorn would be able to grab the elf and bring him over to join the fellowship so he could help them fight.

After he received a nod of understanding from both hobbits, the man inched closer and drew his sword from its sheath. He crouched mere feet from the orcs and slowly moved into a sanding position, making sure to keep himself hidden. Then, taking a deep breath he moved from his hiding spot for less than two seconds, made eye contact with Gandalf, and then dropped to the ground again. Thankfully the orcs were too distracted to see him, but the wizard understood him perfectly, and with a resonating shout, Boromir, Gimli, Gandalf, Sam, and Frodo sprang from their cover and dove straight into battle.

The orcs immediately took the bait, and about thirty of them leapt at the fellowship, while the other ten or fifteen formed a tight circle around Legolas, their backs still turned to the where Aragorn and the hobbits hid.

The group of three waited for several moments to ensure that the orcs were busy, before Aragorn crept out and swiftly beheaded the closest orc. It fell to the ground with a thump, the noise drawing the attention of the others around the man. They attacked him viciously but they were no match for the skill and overwhelming rage Aragorn possessed. Of the ten that attacked, all but one fell to the ground dead within seconds. The last one standing was the farthest away from Aragorn, and also the closest to Legolas.

The man spun around to face the beast, but he absolutely froze when he saw that the orc had jerked Legolas' head back by fisting his hair, and placed a dagger dangerously close to the elf's throat. When he realized he had grabbed Aragorn's attention, he pulled the archer's hair again so his chin was jutting forward. At the action Legolas groaned audibly and his half lidded eyes fluttered all the way closed. At that point the man panicked, for he could no longer tell if Legolas was simply unconscious or something much, much worse. However, he had to push that aside for the moment if he was going to be able to actually get Legolas away from the villainous creature.

"Let him up now! You have hurt him enough already!"

The orc only chuckled with a sinister undertone, but before he could speak his eyes went wide and the breath left his body. The creature stood for several more seconds before the dagger fell from his now lax grip, and his body slumped forward onto his knees. Confused, Aragorn approached him, but he had to jump back when the body fell forward, and landed face first on the ground. Once the body settled—and Aragorn was sure he was dead—the ranger couldn't help but smile, for the two hobbits were standing where the orc once was, swords raised with menacing glares across their facial features.

He was about to go and thank them, but when Legolas released yet another groan of pain, the idea was thrown aside and the man rushed forward to aid his friend. He dropped to a kneel beside Legolas—who was on his knees, bound to the tree by his wrists above his head, and a large coil of rope around his middle—with worry shining brightly in his eyes. Aragorn reached out a calloused hand and lifted Legolas' chin upwards so he could get a proper look at his face, for after the orc had released his hair, the elf's head had dropped forward to rest against his chest limply. When he received no reaction from Legolas through the movement, he gently called out to him.

"Legolas, mellon-nin…can you hear me gwador?" (my friend; brother)

The elf remained unresponsive, causing Aragorn to sigh with despair. He then turned to Merry and Pippin, who were waiting behind him, and gestured them over. Once they were by his side, he pointed to the rope holding Legolas up.

"When I cut through the bonds, he will not be able to stay upright. I need you two to hold him up alright?"

The two nodded and moved forward. They gingerly placed their hands underneath the elf's arms and held him closely to the trunk of the tree. They cringed when Legolas moaned in pain from their actions, and looked to ranger in concern. However, he merely shook them off and began cutting away the ropes binding his friend.

"I know it is hard to hear him protest so, but his body has been damaged to the point where any movement and touch is going to bring him extreme pain. So at the moment, the only thing we can do to try and lessen that is be as careful as possible when it comes to moving him."

The Took and Brandybuck still looked concerned and slightly guilty, but they pushed it aside and continued to hold the elf up.

By now the ropes around his knees, ankles, and waist had been pushed away, and the ranger had moved on to the bindings tied around his wrists. He carved around the elf's hands, and as soon as the limbs were free, they fell lifelessly to the prince's sides. Unfortunately, because they had been held up in such an awkward position for so long, it caused Legolas great pain to have them released and therefore a keening wail fell from his lips. The horrible sound caused Aragorn to freeze and murmur to his aching friend.

"I am so sorry Legolas…but please understand we are only trying to help you."

Then much to his surprise, a raspy voice answered him.

"I know, thank you Estel*."

Aragorn's eyes widened as he took Legolas' form from the hobbits and picked him up bridal style.

"Oh it is good to hear your voice again mellon-nin. Amin achas i deleb ir gad-lle medi anann." (my friend; I feared the worst when finding you took so long.)

The elf offered up a barely convincing smile and chuckled weakly.

"Gar-a tithen bronwe gwador-nin." (Have a little faith my brother.)

The witty response brought forth a snide smile that hadn't been worn by the man for quite some time

"Well, please accept my apologies, but you should know that I never gave up on you."

However, Aragorn only received a mumbled hum in response for exhaustion and pain finally overwhelmed the abused elf, causing his body to go limp, and his eyes to flutter closed. Noticing this, the ranger's brow furrowed and his grip on the elf tightened a little.

"Just hang on a little longer mellon-nin. No longer shall you reside with these beasts."

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**Alright, so I know this took me way longer to type than it should have, but it is now done, and I really hope that you enjoyed reading it. Also, the next chapter is probably, well almost certainly going to be the last chapter for this story. **

**Please review!**

***Estel is Aragorn's elvish/childhood name that was given to him by Lord Elrond while he was living in Rivendell. **


	12. Chapter 12

**I am so sorry that I haven't posted anything. My internet has been down, and the people who are supposed to fix it have been annoyingly lazy, so my precious WiFi has been on several sick days. I offer my apologies, now please enjoy!**

**Oh and after receiving many requests for me to extend this story, I decided that this would NOT be my last chapter. I am going to do one, maybe two more after this.**

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After the weakened elf had been freed from his bonds, it only took a matter of minutes before the fellowship had felled the remaining orcs. Their rage towards their friend's capture and severe injury definitely helped the precision of their swords, and the speed at which they killed. By the end, the horrid bodies of the beasts littered the ground around the members of the fellowship, who had formed a tight circle around Legolas. While the more seasoned and skilled warriors had been fighting, the four hobbits had gathered around the elf with their swords raised as an extra defense.

As soon as the battle was over, the group of nine grabbed Legolas and began looking for a place where he could be healed by the ranger. They sprinted through the surrounding area until they found a semi-secluded section of land about two and a half miles from the orc's campsite.

It was nothing more than a small circle of grassy earth surrounded by trees that towered over the heads of all nine of the fellowship. Their low hanging branches, that were heavily endowed with leaves, combined with the closeness of their trunks, gave the area a certain protected feel that was ideal for the fellowships intended usage. After a brief search of the area to ensure that they were the only beings in the immediate vicinity, the group settled down in a hurry to help the still unconscious and battered Mirkwood prince.

Then, it was Aragorn who took control of the situation by handing out tasks that he needed done in order to help Legolas. Sam was instructed to start a fire, Frodo filled one of the gardener's pots with water from the group's water sacks to be boiled, Merry and Pippin were asked to set Legolas up on his bed roll with the aid of Gandalf, Gimli took a post as guard, and Boromir was enlisted to find other herbs that Aragorn wasn't already in possession of. The Gondorian was the best option because, due to the fact he was a soldier, he had been taught the rudimentary healing tactics used for treating wounds sustained in battle. Once everyone else had started their tasks, Aragorn began prepping everything and anything that he might need in order to deal with the elf's extensive wounds.

After spending a good deal of time rummaging through his pack, the ranger had finally gathered every healing herb that he had, along with bandages and the proper thread and needle for sewing shut the deepest of Legolas' wounds. He piled them up in his grasp and rushed over to where the hobbits and Gandalf had set up the archer.

The elf was lying slightly turned on his left side, for it appeared that while his left knee was turned at an awkward angle, and the area around that side of his collar bone looked rather strange, the rest of his left side seemed reasonably intact.

As the ranger grew closer, he felt the same churning in the depth of his stomach that he felt when he first saw the state that the elf was in. It made his face blanch and his palms sweat, for he had never seen his close friend so out of it, and in such a perilous position…and never had he seen someone he cared so much for covered in this much of their own blood, for Legolas was bleeding heavily from the mass of deep cuts and disturbed welts that wrapped around his back, chest, arms, and legs, soaking blood through his now tattered leggings, and stained his porcelain skin. Unfortunately, the collection of morbid gore also seemed to be desperately infected, which was placing even more worry upon the man.

The red substance was smeared across the fair beings face as well from a deep and sluggishly bleeding gash across his right temple, which the ranger guessed had a concussion hidden behind it.

Aragorn finally reached his friend's side, and lowered himself down to his knees so he could be closer to the elf. The man hurriedly set down the medical supplies and released a heavy breath. His silver eyes scanned the elf's body further—in an attempt to try and truly assess how Legolas was fairing—and unfortunately, what he saw was even worse. Legolas' form had truly become a concoction of an oddly shaped right shoulder and hip, a twisted wrist and ankle on the same side, bright silvery-red blood tainted flesh—which was strenuously stretched over malnourished bones and barely existent muscle—and upon further investigation, a jaw hindered by a hairline fracture and many cracked and broken ribs.

The ranger cringed as he ran his calloused, yet gentle hands, over the battered body of his friend. It grieved him severely when Legolas groaned through his oblivious state in obvious pain. The elf shifted uncomfortably and tried to shrug the hands off of him, not knowing that they only wished to help. Then, when Aragorn didn't immediately release him, the prince started to thrash more violently.

Highly concerned that the elf would hurt himself further, Aragorn pressed harder upon the prince's body, slowly pushing him back down to the bed roll spread out on the ground. However, as soon as the elf's sensitive back touched the earth, he barely contained a scream of agony. As several tears streamed down Legolas' bloodied cheeks, the ranger felt his heart clench dangerously and he whispered several muted words in the elf's ear in an attempt to calm him.

"Mellon-nin, saes daro maeth nin, cam tol pân loen anna-an lle." (My friend, please stop fighting me, aid is all we give to you.)

The elf didn't seem fazed by the words and continued to fight. Exasperated, Aragorn huffed and gently wrapped his arms around Legolas' body—avoiding his wounds as much as possible—and pulled him close to his chest.

"Legolas, a tol Estel, a tol lle mellon…lasta-an nin ir amin ped-lle sad band…al-er-innas tog-lle naeg si." (Legolas, it is Estel, it is your friend…listen to me when I say you are safe…no one will bring you pain here.)

Finally Legolas calmed down enough for Aragorn to regain control of the situation by restraining the elf's once flailing limbs. Seconds later the elf went limp in his arms as his muscles relaxed.

The ranger waited for a few more moments just to make sure that he wasn't going to receive another painful reaction, before he gently set the elf back on his less injured side. Once he had settled Legolas in a position he thought that the archer would find comfortable, he extended a tender hand and stroked the elf's hair gently, tucking several stray strands behind the delicately pointed right ear.

"Gwador-nin, lle baur an nesta-"The ranger paused as his voice caught in his throat. "-an amin car-al-iest an adleg lle." (My brother, you need to heal; for I do not want to lose you.)

A single tear dripped from Aragorn's grief filled eyes as Legolas flinched when the ranger's hand accidently brushed against his injured temple. He allowed his hand to linger on his friend's forehead for a little while longer, before Aragorn closed his eyes in grief and finally pulled his hand away. He could no longer handle feeling how weak the elf had become. It was clear that the wood-elf was struggling to keep his body from shutting down, and the man was in no way ignorant to that.

"I am so sorry Legolas, but I promise that I will do everything that I can to heal you, mind and body, alright? Just please continue to fight…that is all that I ask of you…please mellon-nin, please." (my friend)

Knowing that he wasn't going to receive a response from his friend, Aragorn sighed and began what he knew would be a very strenuous healing process.

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**Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Alright, so unfortunately all good things must come to an end…but not yet. I know I fooled you there, didn't I? I have decided to add an epilogue onto the end, although it will probably be reasonably short. Oh and quick side note, the italics used in this chapter represent the thoughts of Legolas as he is in the limbo between life and death.**

**Please review!**

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Six rolls of bandages and almost three doses of sedatives and pain killers later, Aragorn had finally finished tending to the injuries spread over Legolas' body. It had taken him close to four hours, to clean and stitch closed each slash of the whip across the elf's back and chest—where they were the deepest and in the worse condition—before wrapping bandages around his entire torso, up over his shoulders, and around his neck, after he had set the broken collar bone, the cracked and broken bones, and fixed the dislocated right shoulder. Next he had to wrap the right hip and left knee, just to ensure that the skewed bones healed properly, while salve was rubbed into the sore muscles and dark bruises, but the sprained ankle and wrist he could only soak in cold water to reduce the swelling, for his remaining bandages were put to use in more urgent circumstances, such as the skin around Legolas' wrists, which had been rubbed raw until it bled.

So now the ranger sat—stiff and vigilant—beside the prone form of the elf, as he waited for Legolas to awaken.

As he sat, Aragorn had taken up the habit of constantly keeping the elf's brow cool. He used a compress doused in the coldest water available, for unfortunately, the infection that spread through the majority of the archer's wounds had caused Legolas' body temperature to skyrocket with an intense fever. It showed clearly through the sheen of sweat across the wood-elf's forehead and the flush that covered his cheeks and neck. The man had done everything possible to rid the being's body of such disease, but for the medicine to take full effect, they would need to wait for several hours; that is, if the elf's desperately weakened body survived that long…

The man chastised himself for thinking so morbidly, but the possibility of his friend passing to Mandos was so high at the moment, that he couldn't help himself. Such thoughts brought tears to his eyes, but he refused to allow them to pass his dark eyelashes in order to keep whatever composure he had left.

"Legolas…saes mellon-nin. Lle baur a dar-si." (Legolas…please my friend you need to stay here.)

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_All that I can feel is darkness and pain…the pull of a strange force dragging me to unknown lands…the promise of all pain numbed if I just give in…_

"Legolas…saes mellon-nin. Lle baur a dar-si." (Legolas…please my friend, you need to stay here.)

_The voice, why does it sound so familiar, yet so very strange? Well, I shall never know, the pull is too strong…_

"Amin istas i naeg tol beleg, na lle sad baurin an sen lend." (I know the pain is great, but you are needed for this journey.)

…_and yet this voice pulls me home, or at least what I think to be home. It sounds so sad, so desperate. _

"Please Legolas, your friends are in need of you, please return to us…return to me, Estel, your friend, your brother. We need you Legolas; I need you…I mean where would I be without my stubborn princeling?"

_Estel….The name sounds so foreign as I taste it on my tongue. Part of me wants to forget the name and the pleading voice, yet I knew I cannot. I continue to roll the name in my mother tongue off my lips…Estel…Estel...and then it was there, Estel! My dearest friend Estel…how I forgot your voice I know not, and for that I apologize. _

_As I think on Estel I long for our time we have spent together, I want to return to you Estel, yet I cannot see you, the hands that guided me through the darkness are gone! Where am I to go? I know not where my feet take me! I cannot feel the ground beneath me! Estel help me! Bring me home, I want to return home! I am falling Estel! I cannot stop! Call me home brother of mine! Please!_

"Legolas…follow my voice, come back to me, and return to the world you know."

_I want to, but it isn't strong enough! I still can't see you through the darkness; I can only see the nothingness the blackness holds. Help me Estel! I need your help! You're slipping away from me Estel! I can't hear you anymore! _

"Come on mellon-nin, you can do it. Please continue to fight."

_Estel please continue! I still only see dark—wait there's a light, the darkness is breaking._

"Legolas…listen to me, listen to my voice."

_It is getting brighter, I-I can see you! I can see you Estel! Ha! My feet are moving home, home to you, to ada, and my people, everyone! I see you Estel and I see the light! (father)_

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Aragorn was still by the elf's side about three hours later, when Legolas started twitching and a worried frown appeared on his face. The man immediately abandoned the cloth he was still holding, and dove to grab Legolas' hand with his right, and stroke the elf's forehead with the other. And despite the seemingly uncomfortable expression on the elf's face, the ranger couldn't help but smile, for the reaction meant that the elf was responding to his constant pleading.

"Legolas, I am right here."

A small whimper escaped the archer's flushed lips and his head began to thrash violently.

"Legolas calm down, you need to stop! You are injured rather severely, and if you continue you will only cause yourself more pain!"

Another groan sounded as the man placed his hands on Legolas' shoulders to still his now trembling body.

"Gwador-nin, lasta-a enni." (My brother, listen to me.)

Finally Legolas stilled a little, and turned his body towards the man, who was deeply concerned when he realized that the elf had his facial features screwed up in pain. Then, much to the ranger's surprise, the elf spoke.

"Estel….can't see you."

"I am right here Legolas, I am right in front of you mellon-nin. Just open your eyes and you will see me." (my friend)

"Too dark…don't know where I am."

Confused, and a little bit worried about the fact that his friend couldn't figure out where he was, Aragorn continued talking to the elf.

"What do you mean Legolas? You are right here with me and the fellowship."

"I want to come back, need your help."

"Alright, want do you need?"

"Voice leading me…keep talking…"

"Just listen then, focus on me and my voice, nothing else."

There was a rather pregnant pause as Legolas grunted in what Aragorn thought was frustration, before giving a painful squeeze to the man's hand which was holding his own.

"Trying…I am really trying."

"I know Legolas, and I know that you are strong enough to do this."

This time a pained wail-like sound dripped from the prince's mouth. It grated on the man's ears for ii truly accentuated how much discomfort Legolas was actually in. The noise sounded again as the trembling returned to the elf's body. However, now the ranger realized that they were from exhaustion. Legolas actually was fighting something within himself and it was taxing the little strength he had left horribly.

"Estel, I'm lost…help me."

"Of course, I am still here Legolas you know that I always will be."

The elf twitched violently beside the ranger, and it was only then that the man realized the entire fellowship had now gathered around them. The other members were staring down at the elf with concern as his shaking increased in intensity.

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_The blackness was still so strong. Only the whiteness of Estel's light was fighting it away, it isn't enough! It seems that whenever I take a step closer it moves farther away! I am starting to get tired, and the pull in the other direction is becoming so strong. Maybe I should let it take me-_

"Thranduilion*, you are stronger than this, I know that you are. Leaving these shores is not yet an option for you, no matter how much you may want it to be."

_Gandalf? Mithrandir**, where are you Mithrandir?_

"Come now Greenleaf*** you must think of the others around you. Think of your father, what would happen to him if you were to pass?"

_Ada…It would break is heart and he would either sail or fade, but it isn't his time, not yet. (father) Oh Gandalf, I know you are right, but I still do not know how I am supposed to fight through this darkness._

"Legolas, I have known you too long to allow you to give up, so fight tithen-pen…fight!" (little one)

_Gandalf! Ha! I can see you Mithrandir! Your light has appeared! Once again I feel my feet move, heading away from where the invisible hands pulled him. I make them move, I control myself once again, I decide to follow the light of Estel, and the light of Mithrandir. _

"Legolas can you hear us?"

"Please come back to us Mister Legolas. We really don't want to lose you."

_The hobbits!_

"Legolas, you are our friend, we want you back here with us. We miss your songs, your stories, everything about you."

_Merry, Pippin, I have missed you too my little friends. And now I see you, all four of you. The blackness is fading because of you; your light is pushing it away. I can see something ahead….a path? Yes a path! The path home! _

"Aye, elf you do have some sort of skill, and we may find use of you yet."

_Is that the dwarf? Ah Gimli I believe…well I wouldn't mind not returning to you, but as you said of me, I believe of you. I cannot deny that you have reasonable skill with your axe. And huh…I can see you now as well…maybe we are destined to be more than enemies. _

"Legolas, you are a brave soldier, you must come back to your body and aid us on our quest."

_Ah Boromir, the calm voice as ever. However, sometimes that is needed and helpful in a life such as mine, and in a situation such as this. I value your concern my friend, should I call you that, I know not, but I do know that in my mind you have achieved such status, and I do not give that lightly._

"Saes mellon-nin." (please my friend)

_Now they are all there, eight lights to lead me, eight voices calling out, and eight reasons to return._

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Legolas' body continued to vibrate under the gazes of the watchful fellowship, before finally his form seized and a violent convulsion racked his frame. The elf's back arched up off the ground and his mouth fell open in a gasp. Then his body dropped to the ground, completely still, his lips still parted.

It was completely silent as the group of travelers watched in horror when Legolas' body didn't even twitch.

"Legolas…mellon-nin?" (my friend)

Tears came to the ranger's eyes as he watched the elf for any sign that he was alive. He was so still that the man couldn't even tell if he was breathing.

"Legolas….Legolas….Legolas!"

Aragorn's pleas were becoming desperate and when he received no answer, he slowly reached his hand towards the elf's neck to check something that he hoped he never would have to. However, just as he was about to touch the milky white flesh underneath his friend's chin, pale eyelids lined with dark and full eyelashes fluttered open, revealing bright blue eyes.

At that moment all breath left the ranger's body and a smile, larger than any he had harbored before, spread over his stubbled cheeks. And when he spoke, he didn't care that is voice sounded weak and childlike, or that it was drowning in tears of pain, happiness, and other overwhelming emotions, all that mattered was the fact that he was able to speak to his long time friend at all.

"Welcome back Legolas, long time no see."

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!**

***Adding ion (which means son in elvish) to the end of the parent's name translates to son of_. So Thranduilion means son of Thranduil.**

****Mithrandir is a secondary name for Gandalf, and is really only used by the elves.**

*****Greenleaf is the common tongue translation of Legolas, and is also used as a last name for him. I thought that it may have been used as a 'pet name' or childhood nickname used by Thranduil and others close to Legolas.**


	14. Chapter 14

**The day has come…the final chapter is today, and I am genuinely sad. However, there is not much more I can type on this story, so it must end. I just want to quickly thank everyone who has left me reviews, followed and favorited my story, and read along to give me support. It is you all that make posting here worthwhile!**

**Please leave me your thoughts; you know I love to hear from you!**

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Two days had passed since Legolas' initial awakening, and the recovering elf had spent the majority of that time asleep. His body was still absolutely exhausted—from his capture, and then the fight back to his physical form—so it was hard for him to stay awake for more than about twenty or thirty minutes at a time. However, when he was awake, he was the same old Legolas that he had always been. He would talk animatedly with Aragorn and the hobbits, his arguments with Gimli continued—albeit now they were a little less harsh—and as requested, he continued to sing regularly and told almost every story he knew to Merry and Pippin.

All seemed to be going smoothly with his injuries as well. The infection had dissipated—thanks to the mixture of Legolas' elven blood and the healing knowledge of Aragorn—and while a small remainder of the fever was still residing within him, it would probably be completely gone within another day or so. As for the broken bones, all of the damaged ribs had nicely stitched together once more, the small fracture in his jaw was gone, and the dislocated hip and knee were now sturdy for the elf to walk on. Unfortunately, the right shoulder that was skewed and the section of his collar bone that was broken, were taking a little longer to fully mend, due to the fact that they started to heal on their own, before they were properly set. The cuts and gashes were nothing more than red lines and minor scratches now, and the bruises were all but gone and the concussion that at one point had caused Legolas' vision blur to the point of almost blindness, had been reduced to nothing more than occasional headaches that would last for several minutes at most. But overall, the elf was on the mend, and the ranger predicted that he would be completely healed in a day, maybe two.

Also, now that the elf had been retrieved, and his wounds healed to their current extent, the fellowship was able to continue on in their quest towards Mordor. They had actually managed to cover a decent distance throughout the day, even with Legolas limping slightly, and moving at a slower pace. He had become winded several times and he needed rest, but he had still insisted on continuing by himself. Once or twice it had gotten to the point where the headaches were too much, or exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he couldn't continue by himself. During these times Aragorn had forcibly—for Legolas was completely loath towards the idea of being carried—picked the elf up and carried him until he was stable once again. It had been the source of much cursing, in elvish and the common tongue, and many laughs for the fellowship. But now, night had fallen once again, and the group of nine had found a site for their temporary camp.

Sam had created a fire and quickly set up a pot of water to boil, for Merry, Pippin, Gimli, and Boromir, had become rowdy in the wait for food. Aragorn had managed to find some squirrels earlier on and now they had been prepped and thrown in the pot, with several very hungry guards, just in case they should spontaneously come back to life and run off. The group had also started arguing amicably with each other about who would get to eat first.

All of their antics had grabbed the attention of the elf, the other man, Frodo, and the wizard. The four sat on the other side of the fire from them. Legolas sat in-between Aragorn and Gandalf, his head resting on the man's shoulder gently.

"Sometimes I wonder if any of them have truly passed their majority."

Legolas, Aragorn, and Frodo all smiled at the Istar's comment.

"Indeed, but as funny as it may be, I believe that Sam is in need of some assistance. Please excuse me my friends."

"Ah, I shall help you Frodo. I would also like to try and get some food before they devour it all."

Gandalf rose with the hobbit and the two sauntered over towards the fire. However, before the wizard moved completely away from Legolas and Aragorn, he turned back to them and smiled kindly.

"Would you two like me to save you some food as well?"

Legolas nodded in thanks and the man did the same.

"Alright, wish me luck with those four…Peregrin Took watch yourself! Contrary to your belief and your stomach, you are not the only being here who needs to eat!"

The elf's melodic laughter floated over the area, and the wonderful sound brought a genuine smile to the ranger's face.

"It is nice to hear your laughter once again gwador-nin." (my brother)

Legolas looked up into Aragorn's face with a smile.

"Well thank you Estel. I must say that it has been quiet enjoyable, being away from those foul beasts. I missed being around you all."

"Even Gimli?" The man said with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous smile.

Legolas nodded and chuckled.

"Aye, even the dwarf."

Then with a pat to the left side of the ranger's chest and an equally sly smile…

"I even missed your awful facial features."

"Oh well thank you that means so much to me…..Nuuko…" (Moron)

When he heard the last word that the man whispered, the elf sat up, scoffed, and mock glared at the man.

"Excuse me Estel?"

Aragorn feigned confusion, but he couldn't help the small upward angle at which the corners of his mouth turned.

"I said nothing mellon-nin." (My friend)

"Oh really?"

"Indeed. I only said that what you said means so much to me. It just warms my heart."

Legolas raised his eyebrows and with a lightning fast movement, the man was pinned to the ground, the archer smirking above him.

"Well you see Estel, I heard something else."

The man laughed and gently pushed the elf off of him. The two smiled at each other and they quickly moved back into the position they were originally in. Once they relaxed, Aragorn wrapped an arm around the elf's shoulders before speaking comfortingly.

"My apologies Legolas, I meant it only in jest."

"I know gwador. My actions were not serious." (brother)

The two looked at each other with friendly gazes. That was when a shout from the Gondorian got their attention.

"You two, supper is ready."

They nodded, and Aragorn rose. He slowly stretched out whatever sore limbs he had, before reaching out his hand to Legolas. The elf arched a brow and scoffed, grabbing the hand.

"Oh, well someone is feeling courteous tonight."

Once the elf was on his feet, Aragorn bowed dramatically, before straightening himself with his 'signature' goofy grin.

"Don't get used to it elf."

"No worries there human."

The two shared a look before the call of food beckoned them forward towards their friends and the fire.

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**I really hope you enjoyed this story. Please review!**


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